Albus Potter and the Heir of Slytherin
by ASP-RGW-SHM
Summary: When we last saw him, Albus Potter was waving at his dad on his way to starting his first year at Hogwarts. His story continues as he makes an unexpected friend, comes face to face with the Sorting Hat, and has the legacy of his father thrust upon him.
1. Chapter 1: The Journey Begins

**Chapter 1: The Journey Begins**

Aboard the Hogwarts' Express was a short, unremarkable boy in many aspects. He was eleven years old, starting his first year at Hogwarts. He was about average height for his age. He had black, ruffled hair that never seemed to want to remain flat. His eyes were a deep emerald green, just like his father and his grandmother. He seemed to be the spitting image of his father, save for the glasses and the lightning-bolt shaped scar that his father had. He was a rather shy and reserved boy that would go unnoticed in crowds if he was an ordinary wizard.

But this boy was no ordinary wizard. His father was the great Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. His father had vanquished the Dark Lord Voldemort nearly 20 years ago. His mother was Ginny Weasley, and she and her family greatly aided Harry during the war and have become celebrities in the Wizarding World. It would suffice to say that this boy had a lot to live up to. And his name was Albus Severus Potter.

Albus Severus Potter waved at his parents until he couldn't see them any longer. he felt stupid for doing so, but it seemed his father's words were the only consolation he had. _It doesn't matter to us Al,_ he said,_ If you are sorted into Slytherin we'll still be proud of you. Besides, the hat takes your choice into account. It did for me._ He took some solace in this statement as he walked down the hall of the train with his cousin Rose Weasley, looking for an empty compartment.

Albus had been close with Rose since as long as he can remember. They were pretty much friends as well as cousins. Rose had hazel-brown eyes and auburn hair, unlike the rest of the Weasley family, who had flaming red hair. Rose inherited many traits from her mother Hermoine. Her father Ron always said she had her mother's brains. Rose was never seen without a book of some sort in her hand. Albus was beginning to worry that they may not find a seat when he bumped into his older brother.

"Hey Al! Why don't you go find some Slytherins to make friends with?" mocked his older brother James. A chill shot down his spine, like he was caught in a dementor's grip. All confidence he had was now shattered by his brother's teasing. What if James was right? What if I am sorted into Slytherin?

James had been teasing Al since the beginning of the summer, and Al being the shy and nervous kid that he was took him seriously. James had always been that "cooler" older brother. He had messy brown hair, a little lighter than Al, and deep brown eyes. James was one year older than Al. Last year when James went to Hogwarts, he barely ever responded to Al's letters, making Albus wonder what on earth James was doing. Well, this year Al would find out. Judging from the compartment James was in, Al could tell why he never got a response. About six or seven girls in James' year were crowded around him and his two friends. Al figured that nearly ALL of the girls in James' year liked him.

"Oh, don't listen to him, Al, I'm sure you'll be fine. Look, here's an empty compartment." Rose said, ushering him inside the seemingly empty compartment.

"I don't know Rose, what if I'm sorted into Slytherin?" said Albus.

"Honestly Al you won't be sorted into that house, how many times do I have to tell you?" said Rose.

"And what's so bad about Slytherin?" said a pale boy from across the compartment. Evidently the compartment wasn't empty after all. This boy had pale grey eyes, pale whitish-blond hair, and was holding a copy of today's _Daily Prophet_. He had an expression of contempt and presumptuousness etched onto his face.

"Um, nothing, erm…it's fine, just, um…," Albus struggled to answer.

"I knew it. You two are those 'Slytherin's Evil' types. I should have known better. Probably blood traitors too." the boy said scornfully. Albus heard Rose shift in her seat next to him.

"What did you say! Blood traitors! I'll have you know my mother was a Muggle-born and is currently ranked one of the most powerful witches in the Wizarding World!" said Rose. "I know who you are now! Pale face, pale hair, grey eyes, pure-blood. You must be Scorpius Malfoy!"

"What's it to you, half-blood!" said Scorpius, "And I should've known. Your hair an unmistakable shade of red, and a mudblood mother. You must be Rose Weasley. And that ball of nerves next to you must be Albus Potter!"

Then, it suddenly hit Albus. Uncle Ron had many stories about Scorpius' father, Draco Malfoy, and how he always caused trouble at school. But after the Second Wizarding War, didn't everyone try to improve their outlook on blood status? Perhaps Scorpius was merely using this pureblood mania as a guise to conceal his true feelings of loneliness. Albus thought it was worth a shot.

"Guys, just stop. It's pointless to argue. Scorpius, why do you care so much about blood status?" said Albus.

"I….um…uh…," Scorpius stuttered. _Bingo_, thought Albus, _I was right_.

"You don't really care about blood status, do you?" said Albus.

"Um…ok I admit it! I was just lying because I thought you would make fun of my family or something! You can't imagine how difficult it is to be a Malfoy in this day and age! Everyone assumes you're going to become the next Dark Lord or blow up Diagon Alley or something! I'm sick of it! I just want to be _normal_, and have _friends_!" Scorpius yelled, on the verge of tears.

"Wow, I'm really sorry Scorpius, I'm guilty of assuming that too…," Rose said, glancing downward at one of her books.

"I don't really care where the Hat puts me. I just want to be put in a house that can help me clear my family's name. Even if it's Slytherin. I don't know why you're so worried about houses, you're most likely going to end up in Gryffindor." said Scorpius.

"I don't know. I'm not exactly brave. This whole house thing has been eating me up inside the entire summer. James certainly hasn't helped, always teasing me, calling me Aspie." said Albus.

"Aspie? That name sounds really funny," Scorpius chuckled. Albus smiled in response.

"It's my initials, A.S.P. James won't leave me alone about it, saying I'm destined for a life with the snakes." Albus said, looking crestfallen and depressed.

"Al, this is a real question. Why do you want to be put in Gryffindor in the first place? Do you really think you would belong there?" said Rose.

"What are you saying Rosie! I thought we both agreed that it's Gryffindor or bust!" shouted Albus.

"But Scorpius is making me seriously reconsider. I mean, do I actually belong there or do I want to be there because that's what my parents want? We have a large family and we'll just become two more Weasleys in Gryffindor." said Rose.

Albus never thought about that before. _She's right_,_ we'll just be stereotypical Gryffindors, nothing special about us at all._

"Well, I think it's decided for all three of us then," said Scorpius.

"What?" Al and Rose asked.

"We'll all ask the Sorting Hat to place us in the house we belong in and will best fit in. Agreed?" asked Scorpius, holding out his hand. Rose and Albus contemplated this for a moment, before placing their hands on his.

"Agreed." They said together. The plump trolley witch came down the hallway, pausing at their compartment.

"Anything off the trolley dears?" she said. Scorpius bought nearly her whole stock of chocolate frogs and sprawled them out on the seat beside him. He tossed Al and Rose a bunch, and Albus eagerly began opening his to see what cards were inside. He got a bunch of Merlin, Circe, and Hecate cards, but one card in particular stood out. It read:

_Harry Potter_

_The Boy Who Lived_

_Savior of the Wizarding World and Conqueror of the Dark Lord. Harry Potter's life was thrown into turmoil when the Dark Lord murdered his parents when he was just one but failed to murder him. During his years at Hogwarts, he accomplished many things and thwarted the Dark Lord numerous times. He is currently the Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. _

The face of his father beamed up at him from the card, and Albus couldn't help but smile. _Maybe everything was going to be ok,_ he thought, _I just have to be brave like Dad_. He glanced up to see Scorpius and Rose animatedly chatting about this week's issue of _The Daily Prophet_, which Rose and Scorpius had on their laps. The cover story was very chilling:

LAST KNOWN DEATH EATER STILL AT LARGE

The Auror Department has just recently upped the reward for the capture of the last known Death Eater, Anton Gaunt. Gaunt has eluded capture from authorities for nearly a quarter century and continues to present problems to the highly esteemed Auror Department.

Anton Gaunt, as revealed by insiders, was one of "Voldemort's personal favorites," said Puddlemere United shareholder Lucius Malfoy when asked to comment on the matter on Tuesday. "Honestly I'm not surprised he's eluded capture for this long, he has always shown himself to be an extremely capable wizard."

Many educated witches and wizards have been frightened by his surname _Gaunt_, which was the surname of Voldemort's mother. Wizarding genealogists have attempted to trace his lineage back to Marvolo Gaunt, who was Voldemort's grandfather, making him a close relation of the Dark Lord.

"I'll bet that's a load of rubbish that he's related to Voldemort," said Head Auror Harry Potter on Thursday. "He's probably just using it as a ruse to scare people, that's all. We're working around the clock and plan to ease public worry soon."

That being said, it is advised that if you see Anton Gaunt, run as far away as possible and contact the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic. Gaunt is powerful and extremely dangerous, and not afraid to use torture devices to escape.

Accompanying this story was a picture of a very scary man. He had a hood obscuring his thick head of brownish-black hair. His dark brown eyes were staring maniacally and he had a sinister smile etched into his face.

"Wow, he looks really creepy!" said Rose.

"I know, and I can't understand how he's this crafty that he's been able to elude the aurors for this long. And wow, why didn't grandfather tell me he was in _The Prophet_?" said Scorpius. Albus was mildly interested in the conversation, but what his brother told him was still bugging him. _I won't be in Slytherin, I won't be in Slytherin, I won't, I won't, I won't!_ He kept telling himself. But the more he thought about it the worse he felt. He wasn't really all that brave, so that probably meant he could rule out Gryffindor. He was definitely going to defy family tradition. Of the remaining three, Albus wasn't the down-to-earth kind of boy that would fit into Hufflepuff, leaving only Ravenclaw and Slytherin. It was true that Albus was very smart (not nearly as smart as Rose thought), but he also developed cunning and wit in order to outsmart his brother whenever James tried to prank him. Albus sighed and decided that he would have to be in Slytherin after all.

"Why the long face, Al?" Scorpius asked. Al noticed both Rose and Scorpius had stopped talking and were now staring at him.

"You're still worried about the house problem, aren't you?" Rose asked. She didn't even wait for his reply; his awkward silence was enough to giver her an answer. "Yes, that's what it is. You're still worried you'll be sorted into Slytherin. I thought we decided that we'll let the Hat put us in the house in which we best belong."

"I know it's just…what will everyone think if I'm in Slytherin?" said Albus.

"Why should you care? Besides, if you get into Slytherin, I'll definitely get in, and you'll have a friend in your house already," said Scorpius.

"I won't change my opinion of you if you're in Slytherin, Al," said Rose.

"Thanks guys," said Albus, smiling sadly. They heard the train whistle and all three of them glanced out the window. They could see the lights of Hogsmeade in the distance.

"Oh, look! There's Hogsmeade. Good thing we decided to change early, right Al?" said Rose, trying to distract Albus from worrying. Albus smiled at how nice Rose could be sometimes.

"Yes, I got changed before I came. Father and mother apparated me to the platform, so I didn't have to worry about the Muggles staring at me funny." said Scorpius.

"Hey, Al, I meant to ask you, what's your wand made out of?" Rose asked. How could Albus forget about creepy old Ollivander? "You, like your father, are destined for great things," the wandmaker had said on that sweltering summer day in Diagon Alley.

"Holly and Runespoor scale. How about you Rose?" said Albus.

"Cherry and phoenix feather. It's the same core as your dad's wand. What about you, Scorpius?"

"Mahogany and dragon heartstring." said Scorpius, "By the way Al, what's a Runespoor?" Albus glanced over at Rose, expecting her to spew her knowledge about the subject.

"Runespoors are three headed snakes native to Burkina Faso. Each head is associated with a different action. The left head is the planner, deciding where the Runespoor is to go. The middle head is the dreamer, and the right head is the critic, who bites with venomous fangs." Rose explained. Scorpius seemed flabbergasted at Rose's wealth of knowledge.

"We have arrived in Hogsmeade Station. Gather your things and prepare to depart for Hogwarts. That is all." said the voice. Rose, Albus, and Scorpius gathered their things together and got their heavy trunks from the overhead baggage compartment. The three of them silently trudged down the hall of the train toward the exit, Albus gloomily realizing he was coming closer and closer to his inevitable fate.


	2. Chapter 2: The Hat of Fate

**Chapter 2: The Hat of Fate**

_Well, this is it,_ thought Albus, _all of my fears will either come true or I'll be in for a pleasant surprise_. Albus hoped it would be the latter. The trio stepped off the train to hear the voice of a booming giant.

"Firs' years over 'ere! Firs' years over 'ere!" boomed the voice of the half-giant Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid had been a family friend ever since he had exposed Albus' dad to the wizarding world nearly twenty-seven years ago.

"Hi Hagrid!" Albus and Rose shouted.

"Well 'ello there Al an' Rose! How's yer parents?" said Hagrid.

"They're good. Dad told me that we could have tea on Friday in your hut, if that's ok with you." said Albus .

"Friday it is, then!" said Hagrid. "All righ' yeh lot, three ter a boat!" Albus, Rose, and Scorpius boarded the same boat, and Hagrid led them across the lake. The three got their first glance at Hogwarts Castle, and it was simply breathtaking. Massive towers and ramparts seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. The whole castle was lit up in a brilliant glow and the spectacular masonry was reflected in the placid, serene waters of the lake. Albus was awestruck. He had heard stories of how amazing this castle was, but it was even more awe-inspiring in reality. The boats silently trudged through the water, their oars breaking the tranquil sanctity of the lake's surface and creating small ripples which radiated outward. The boats eventually made their way to the dock at the castle, where Albus was greeted by another familiar face.

"Greetings, first years, welcome to Hogwarts! I am Neville Longbottom, Professor of Herbology and Head of Gryffindor House!" said Uncle Neville (Albus supposed he'd have to call him _Professor Longbottom_ now). A frog croaked and jumped out of Neville's robes. "Ah, there you are, Trevor!" The first years laughed and giggled. "Now, follow me and I'll explain the basic rules of Hogwarts!" Albus reluctantly trudged on, following the rest of the first years. Neville led them up a winding staircase to a pair of large, oak doors. He stopped for a moment and began his long explanation.

"Now, Hogwarts has four houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. A house is like your family. You eat at the same table, share the same common room and dormitories, and have the same Quidditch team. You also earn points for your house for doing good things, like answering a question correctly in class or winning the Quidditch cup. You can also lose points by getting into trouble. The house with the most points at the end of the year wins the House Cup. Not to brag, but I'd like to point out that Gryffindor has won the House Cup for the past ten years in a row, mind you. Well, that being said, you will be sorted into each of the four houses based on your personality traits. Those who are brave go to Gryffindor, those who are loyal and hard-working go to Hufflepuff, those who are witty and clever go to Ravenclaw, and those who are ambitious and cunning go to Slytherin. Now, follow me and you will be Sorted!" said Neville, thrusting open the oak doors.

They followed nervously behind Neville. Albus noticed the various house tables as he made his way over to the Sorting Hat. His brother was animatedly chatting about something to the four girls seated near him. Judging by the hissing sound he was making Al assumed it was the time James put a garter snake in Albus' wardrobe.

Albus couldn't help but feel as if he was steadily going closer and closer to his imminent death. _You're not going to die if you're in Slytherin,_ he thought, _Your family will just disinherit you, that can't be too bad, can it?_ He kept up these sardonic thoughts, as they strangely seemed to comfort him. With a grimace he turned his attention to the staff table at the far end of the room.

Seated at the headmaster's seat was Kingsley Shacklebolt, another old family friend. Beside him on his left and right were various professors, a couple of which Albus recognized from his parents' stories of Hogwarts, like Hagrid and Professor Trelawney. Neville took out a long piece of parchment from which he read:

"Now, the Sorting Hat will be placed upon your head, and will analyze your mind and sort you into your proper house. As I read your name from the list, step forward and sit on the stool."

Albus stared at the Sorting Hat plopped serenely on the stool. It had a strange seam in it that looked like a mouth. Albus confirmed this when the Hat began to sing:

Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor

Where dwell the brave at heart

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw

If you're a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or Perhaps in Slytheirn

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

"It seems the Hat has chosen to recycle an old song." said Neville, reaching out to pick up the Hat. But the Hat had one more verse to add:

One more thing I need to say

Before you try me on

There will be two surprises here

And pretences will be gone

_Just great, _thought Albus, _The Hat can predict the future too? I'll bet I'm one of those two._ Albus heaved a great sigh before watching the Sorting with mild interest.

"Braggston, Melvin!" called Neville. A nervous boy walked forward. He seemed to be like Neville in many aspects: black hair, clumsy, and nervous. The Hat was placed on Melvin's head and, after a few seconds of debating, the Hat pronounced, "SLYTHERIN!" The Slytherin table clapped animatedly as they welcomed Melvin to the table. From what Albus could tell, they didn't appear to be Death Eaters in the making.

"Boot, Patricia!" Called Neville. A small girl nervously made her way up to the stool and put the Hat on. "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the Hat. A chorus of cheers came from the Hufflepuff table as Patricia Boot made her way over to sit. Neville kept reading down the list as a Finch-Fletcherly became a Ravenclaw. Ariana Gordon became a Gryffindor, Jonathan Harris became a Hufflepuff, and a sinister, ruffian looking boy named Daniel Long became a Gryffindor. A couple of names later and Neville came to "Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Scorpius silently strode up to the Hat, and, with an impassive face, plopped the hat over his head. After a couple seconds of debating, the hat shouted "SLYTHERIN!" and the Slytherin table erupted into cheers. Albus noticed the Hogwarts Crest on Scorpius' robes had magically turned into a Slytherin Crest. _Well, at least you'll have a friend if you're sorted there,_ thought Albus. He glanced over at James, who was making hissing noises at him and mouthed the word _Slytherin_. Albus gulped and returned his attention to the Hat, who had just placed Theodore Patrick into Gryffindor. _They've already gotten to the Ps! Where was I!_ thought Al. Albus' eyes widened in anxiety as he saw Professor Longbottom smile as he looked at the next name on the list.

"Potter, Albus!" he called.

This was it. Albus moved mechanically forward, feeling like he was no longer in control of his own body. It would all end here. He hesitantly plopped down on the stool and Neville placed the Hat on his head, not before giving Albus an encouraging smile. The last thing Albus saw was Rose smiling genuinely at him, as if wishing him good luck.

The Hat kind of smelled funny, and he heard a voice come into his ear:

"Ah, another Potter. I suppose you want to be in Gryffindor too?" the voice asked. Albus hesitated before thinking his reply:

_Just put me in the house I belong in_.

"Hm…what's this? The house you belong in? Why, my dear lad, I always place students in the house where they belong. Now let's take a look into your head, shall we?"

_Very well, just please get this over with._

"Ah, I see. Mr. Potter you appear to be very ambitious. You want to prove to your family that you won't be just 'another Weasley' don't you?"

_I suppose. I know where this is going, but continue._

"Ah, there you go! Another trait, I see you've had to outsmart your brother on numerous occasions, making you very cunning."

_Naturally. I suppose I have capacity to perform Dark Magic in me as well?_

"Mr. Potter, you mustn't go on past assumptions. Slytherin house is in the process of clearing its image. I believe you have the greatest chance of helping them. Besides, do you really want to be the same as your entire family?"

_Um…I suppose not. But what will my family think?_

"They'll eventually learn to accept it. Your parents and Rose will accept it immediately, but give the rest of your family, especially James, some time to adjust to the change."

_Out of curiosity, am I one of the "two" you spoke of in your song?_

"You would be correct in that assumption, Mr. Potter. Now, are you happy with your choice?"

_I suppose I'll have to deal with it. No matter what you would have put me in Slytherin, right?_

"Naturally, I always know what house to put you in immediately. I actually had a bit of foresight with that part of the song at the end. Now, are you ready Mr. Potter? You must be brave like a Gryffindor, loyal to your friends like a Hufflepuff, smart and clever like a Ravenclaw, and ambitious and cunning like a Slytherin."

_That's quite a lot for an eleven year old. But yes, I'm ready._

"Wise choice Mr. Potter…SLYTHERIN!" The Hat boomed. Albus felt the Hat lift off his head, and he couldn't help but crack a devious smile. The first person he saw was a disoriented Neville, who looked as though he might faint. Utter silence penetrated the entire Great Hall as everyone attempted to process what had just occurred. He looked back at the other first years and saw Rose smiling at him. _The Hat was right, she doesn't care what house I'm in._ He had no problem contending with the stunned silence, and kept the devious smile plastered on his face, trying to seem Slytherin-like.

Albus anxiously glanced over at the Gryffindor table, where all of his family had been for generations. Fred, Roxanne, Victoire, Domonique, Lucy, and Molly all looked at him with shock and disbelief. He glanced at his brother, and saw his face etched with hatred and disgust. James turned away from Albus, leaving Albus feeling brokenhearted and crestfallen, but Albus portrayed himself outwardly as aloof and calm.

"Um…Mr. Potter, p-please t-take your s-seat…," said Neville nervously, pointing in the direction of the Slytherin table. Albus took one last glance at his brother, who had become scornful and still full of hate, before shrugging it off and turning away. He strode over to the Slytherin table, absolute silence accompanying him the entire way.

However, as he neared the table, he heard the distinct sound of clapping. He looked up to see Scorpius clapping animatedly as the rest of Slytherin house joined with smiles on their faces. He looked back at Rose and saw she was clapping too. But what made him really sad was that no one else seemed to care. His entire family had just blatantly ignored him, save for Rose. He sat down on a seat next to Scorpius. A couple of older Slytherins clapped Albus on the back and said, "Welcome to Slytherin!" And a couple of other older Slytherins began chanting, "We got a Potter!" repeatedly. Albus smiled. Maybe Slytherins weren't cold, calculating people anymore.

"I told you, now you at least have one friend in your own house!" said Scorpius. Scorpius passed him a chocolate frog and Albus opened it to see the card inside. The card was Salazar Slytherin. _How ironic, _thought Albus, _the only card I needed to complete my collection_. After taking a deep gulp, Neville continued reading his list.

Neville eventually came to "Weasley, Rose" and Rose happily strode up to the stool and sat down. Neville nervously placed the Hat on her head, as if he was afraid it would blow up or catch on fire. After a minute of debate, Rose emerged as the Hat proclaimed,

"RAVENCLAW!"

More stunned silence filled the hall. Neville picked up the hat and looked under it, expecting to find some tampering device. James looked bug-eyed in disbelief, as did the rest of the Weasleys. The silence broke when the Ravenclaw table erupted into applause for Rose as she happily made her way to a seat. Albus and Scorpius began clapping. The Ravenclaw table was right next to the Slytherin table, so Rose would never be too far away during meals and such.

After "Zabini, Adrian" became a Slytherin, Professor Shacklebolt stood up to give his start of term feast.

"I welcome both old and new faces to another exciting year at Hogwarts! Though that Sorting may have come as a surprise for some of you, I urge you all to try and get along to the best of your ability, no matter what house you're in!" Albus heard the distinct sound of his brother snorting and turned to see his brother giving him a death glare. _Just great, _thought Albus sadly,_ I forgot to ask how long it would take for my brother to accept it. _Professor Shacklebolt continued his speech.

"I would like to remind you all of a few rules. The Forbidden Forest is, as aptly named, forbidden to all students, with absolutely no exceptions." Professor Shacklebolt's gaze lingered on James before continuing. "Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that his cat Mrs. Norris is getting very old, so please avoid the urge to ceremoniously kick her." Again, his gaze lingered on James. "Now, with that said, let the feast begin!"

Magically the empty plates in front of them filled with the most delicious assortment of food Albus had ever seen. There was steak, potatoes, chicken, fish, and any other food he could ever one. Albus, hungry from the long journey, eagerly began devouring the food. A couple of the older Slytherins came over to talk to him.

"Hello Albus, my name's Annabel Williams. I'm a fifth-year Slytherin prefect. Pleased to meet you," said one girl with long, wavy black hair. Albus hesitantly replied,

"Hi. Nice to meet you."

"I don't know what pretences you've heard, but I assure you we aren't a bunch of evil dark wizards," said Annabel.

"Though I recommend not getting Annabel mad. She may throw in a Cruciatus Curse or two," said a sandy haired fifth-year sitting next to Annabel. Annabel looked mildly annoyed.

"What did you just say?" Annabel asked accusingly.

"Nothing at all! Heh heh. By the way, my name's Coluber Mortinson. You can call me Col for short." said the sandy haired boy.

"Coluber? What kind of name is that?" Albus asked.

"My parents. They're kind of obsessed with Slytherin. Coluber means 'snake' in Latin." he said.

"Your parent's named you snake? I thought my parents were bad…," said Scorpius. Coluber chuckled.

"I'm also the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team, so if either of you would like to try out, just let me know," Coluber said. Albus nodded but Professor Shacklebolt interrupted him before he could respond.

"Well, now that the feast has concluded, first years follow your house prefects to the dormitories!"

"First year Slytherins, follow me!" shouted Annabel. Albus rose from the table and followed Annabel out of the doors of the Great Hall. He and Scorpius waved at Rose, who was following the Ravenclaw prefects up a tower to their common room. She waved back.

The first year Slytherins were lead down to the dungeons, which seemed rather dark but overall not unpleasant. They passed by the Potions classroom before coming to a wall with an indent in it, like a coin acceptor on a Muggle vending machine.

"Now, in order to enter the Slytherin common room, you must insert the special Slytherin silver coin into the slot here." She did this as she said it, and Albus heard a distinct metallic _click_ come from within the wall. The coin came back out another slot below the first and a line split down the center of the wall. The two sides of the wall parted to reveal an entranceway into the common room. "We used to have passwords but we figured that other people could enter the common room if they overheard the password. So we came up with this coin system. The coins are magically enchanted to burn the hands of anyone not currently in Slytherin house. If you lose them, they will also magically appear near you after a while. Now follow me inside." said Annabel. Albus made his way into the common room, and was pleasantly surprised.

It had torches on braziers along the walls, casting a pleasant light on the room. Overhead there was a dome that displayed the night sky until Albus realized it was the bottom of the lake. _Wow, this is really cool! We're actually _under _the lake!_ he thought. A pleasant fireplace created a nice, warm atmosphere and portraits of famous Slytherins adorned the walls.

"Here are your coins." Annabel said, passing out coins to all of the first years. Albus examined his. It was a glittering silver coin with a snake forming an _S _shape engraved into it. Al thought it looked like a pretty cool symbol. He stashed the coin into his pocket. "Now, the boys' dormitories are on the left down that hall, and the girls' are on the right. You'll find your stuff has already been put there. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me or any of the other prefects. Good luck and welcome to Slytherin!" And with that, Annabel left.

"I'm going to go unpack, are you coming?" asked Scorpius.

"No, I think I'll look around a bit first," said Albus. Scorpius smiled and strode over to the dormitories. Albus couldn't believe this had actually happened. _I'm in Slytherin, _he thought, _Everything I was afraid of for the past six months came true, and I couldn't be happier. Being in Slytherin actually seems kind of cool!_ Albus wondered if the Hat could mess with your mind and chuckled at his own humor. A few Slytherins were hanging out in the common room, some of them reading books. Annabel and Coluber were playing Wizard's Chess by the fireplace. Albus was excited so he began examining the various portraits around the common room. He stopped when he came to a strange portrait of a greasy-haired man next to the fireplace.

_Severus Snape_. The nameplate read. The man Albus was named after. Albus' father had told many stories about his days at Hogwarts, but strangely never really mentioned Severus Snape. Uncle Ron always said Professor Snape was "a mean old git" but Aunt Hermoine and Dad always respected him. Dad even referred to him as "the bravest man he ever knew," so the man must have done something pretty impressive. He continued to stare into the man's deep black eyes which appeared to be voids into oblivion.

"Any particular reason you're goggling at me like some strange zoo animal, Potter?" asked Professor Snape.

"Oh, I'm sorry professor, my dad had told me a couple of things about you and I just wanted to see what you looked like." said Albus earnestly.

"And how, pray tell, did you become a Slytherin, given the revolting family you were born into?" asked Professor Snape.

"Well, I decided that I wanted to be different from the rest of my family. I wasn't going to be 'another Weasley in Gryffindor' and the Hat must've taken that to be ambition. The Hat also said having to outsmart my brother on numerous occasions made me very cunning, so here I am." said Albus. Snape merely blinked.

"What did your father tell you about me?" asked Snape.

"He said you were the bravest man he ever knew, and that's why I'm named Albus Severus Potter," said Albus proudly. Snape's black eyes widened.

"Potter named you after me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, sir, he did," said Albus. Snape turned around sulkily and walked out of the portrait. _I suppose he just needs time to process what he just found out,_ thought Albus, _maybe he's going to tell Dumbledore about it_. Albus smiled and walked over to the dormitories.

Albus found out he'd be sharing a room with four other people, as there were five normal size poster beds. He spotted Scorpius chatting to the other three people in their room, one was a short boy with brown hair, one was a black haired, teal-eyed boy who seemed rather bored, and the third was a rather tall brown haired boy with grey eyes.

"H-h-hi, I'm Melvin. I'm a Muggle-born. Nice to meet you," said the short boy with brown hair.

"Hi, I'm Albus! But you can call me Al for short. Don't be scared though, I'm sure you'll do fine," said Albus. Melvin looked reassured.

"You should actually be proud of yourself. There hasn't been a Muggle-born in Slytherin for ages." said the black-haired boy in a detached, disinterested voice. "By the way, pleased to meet you all, I am Xavier Nott, but you can call me Xav. Sorry if I sound a bit bored; I suppose being raised by Death Eaters gives you a presumptuous and apathetic demeanor." Albus was taken a bit aback when Xavier said he was raised by Death Eaters, but Scorpius laughed.

"I know exactly what you mean, Xav," said Scorpius. Melvin seemed a little happier when Xavier said that. The last boy turned to Albus.

"Hello Albus, I am Adrian Zabini. When I saw you were sorted into Slytherin I was rather surprised. Why did the Hat put you here? I'm not saying you shouldn't be here, but it just seemed odd." said Adrian Zabini.

"Yes Al, I want to know what the Hat said," said Scorpius.

"Alright, the Hat said 'I guess you don't want to be in Slytherin like your father and your brother?' I told the hat to put me in the house I belong in. After a while of listing my personality traits, how I was ambitious to prove myself, cunning to outsmart my brother's pranks, et cetera, the Hat asked if that's where I wanted to go. And I said yes." said Albus. Adrian and Xavier looked amazed.

"Well I assure you Albus, though cunning we may be, we aren't Death Eaters in the making." said Xavier. Adrian nodded in agreement.

All of them seemed nice and unlike stereotypical Slytherins. Well, the stereotype that Albus had had before was entirely false, based on what he had seen. He unpacked and decided to write a letter to his parents, trying to break the news gently.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I don't know exactly how to break this to you, but, well, I've been sorted into Slytherin. Don't worry; I'm perfectly ok with it. Rose was sorted into Ravenclaw. The Hat told me that Slytherin isn't evil any more, and that I can help the house improve its image. Everyone in Slytherin seems really nice. Aside from Rose, the Slytherins have treated me the best out of everyone. I'm kind of worried about the rest of the family. But I'm so excited. I hope you'll understand the whole house thing. I'm still the same Albus.

I talked to Snape's portrait today. It's in the common room, next to the fireplace. He seemed rather shocked when I said that he was the bravest man you ever knew and told him my full name. He sulked out of his portrait, so I don't know if that's a good thing for him or not.

I'm really excited to have my classes tomorrow. I can't believe how much I was worrying about being sorted into Slytherin. Slytherin's great and I'm really happy here. Tell Lily I'll send her home some Hogwarts Candy if I get the chance.

Love you all very much,

Albus

P.S. Tell Kreacher I said hi.

Reading over the letter, Albus sealed it and marched off to the Owlery. He gave it to his snowy white owl Khione.

"Bring this to mom and dad," he said. He watched Khione as she flew off into the night. He headed back to his dormitory and found that Melvin, Xavier, and Adrian were all asleep. Scorpius lay awake reading a book called _Secrets of How to Be Successful at Hogwarts_.

"Good night, Scorpius, I hope we'll be good friends." said Albus, plopping down into his bed.

"I'm sure we will. You, Rose, and I have become the new Golden, or, should I say, _Silver_ Trio." said Scorpius. Albus laughed before drifting off into sound sleep, contemplating what the next day would hold.


	3. Chapter 3: Light as a Feather

**Chapter 3: Light as a Feather, Cold as Ice**

Albus awoke that Wednesday morning staring at a ceiling covered in green hangings and came to a sudden realization: _I'm at Hogwarts!_ He got changed into his new green and silver robes (which he was starting to become proud of) and looked over to see that he was the last one awake. _Everyone else must have gone to the Great Hall_, he thought. He gathered up his books, quills, cauldron, potion ingredients, and ink into the undetectable extension bag Aunt Hermione had given him and headed down to the common room. He saw Scorpius seated at one of the chairs by the fire waiting for him. He looked at the big snake clock in the center of the room just as it hissed nine times, signaling nine o'clock.

"Oh good, I'm not late. Sorry to keep you waiting, Scorpius," said Albus. Scorpius smiled and replied,

"Oh it's quite all right. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up. Shall we go to the Great Hall?"

"Sure. I wonder what classes we have today."

"Well, let's go find out." The two of them exited the common room and made their way out of the dungeons. They entered the Great Hall and walked over to the Slytherin table, giving Rose a wave as they passed by the Ravenclaw table. Albus sat down towards the end and looked up to see a plump old wizard handing out schedules. _He must be our Head of House,_ thought Albus,_ He looks kind of familiar, I think he may have come to Grimmauld Place once or twice for dinner._ When the man looked over at Albus his smile nearly went from ear to ear.

"And of course, Albus Potter! Can't say how happy I was to learn you were sorted into my house! Here is your schedule! Hope to see you in potions class today!" said the man. _Of course,_ now Albus remembered who he was.

"Thank you, Professor Slughorn!" Albus said. The man smiled and began giving out schedules to everyone else. _I suppose I'll have to be in the Slug Club now,_ thought Albus,_ I wonder if he takes first years._ Chuckling to himself, Albus grabbed a biscuit from the table.

"Who was that?" Scorpius asked.

"Professor Slughorn. He likes taking people known for their magical talent or connections with important people and makes a 'Slug Club' out of them. When they graduate and become famous he can ask favors of them like Quidditch seats or to voice his opinion at the Ministry."

"Professor Slughorn? Didn't he duel Voldemort?" asked Xavier from across the table.

"Yes, that is correct. He dueled Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts," said Albus, "He's our potions teacher." Xavier nodded in understanding before shoving a piece of bacon in his mouth. Albus glanced at his schedule and saw that most of their classes were with the Ravenclaws. _Good,_ he thought,_ I'll get to ask Rose questions about what I don't understand._ Today's schedule was Charms with Ravenclaw, Transfiguration with Ravenclaw, Lunch, Defense Against the Dark Arts with (sigh) Gryffindor and then double Potions with Ravenclaw. He was too busy reading his schedule to notice his brother and a group of his friends (followed closely by a pack of giggling girls) walk over to his table. He looked up when he heard his brother cough.

"Oh, hi James! You're right, Hogwarts is great! How was your first day?" he asked, straining to make an effort to be friendly. He honestly couldn't stand the sight of his brother any more, but he supposed it didn't help inter-house relations to be unfriendly.

"You expect me to respond like nothing's happened?" James asked, arms folded and with a death glare on his face. _Just great, what's the bumbling idiot upset about now?_ Albus decided to display some rather Slytherin qualities. Albus' happy smile turned quickly into a nasty, stereotypical Slytherin smirk.

"Why, something the matter?" he said, in a cool, calm voice.

"Nothing. It's just that my brother who I thought I knew for eleven years has betrayed his family. Other than that, I'm perfectly fine." said James sarcastically. One of his cronies had his wand drawn. _Oh great, _thought Albus, _I can see this prank coming_. Eager to practice one of the spells he read in Rose's books, he silently aimed his wand at a pastry on the table without attracting any notice from James. As James' crony raised his wand, Albus shouted,

"_Depulso!_"

The pastry was pushed by the force of his banishing spell right into James' face. Causing him to stagger backward and push into his friend, who turned out to be Murray Finnigan. Murray's wand was knocked askew so that his leg-lock curse meant for Albus hit James instead. Now hopping around with pastry stuck on his face, James was quite the sight to behold. Albus heard peals of laughter coming from Scorpius and the rest of the Slytherins. Even Xavier seemed to chuckle a bit.

"Not so tough now are you, James?" said Coluber. After wiping the pastry off his face, James spat on Albus' plate and marched off with his friends and group of giggling girls in tow. "Don't worry about him, Al. That was some pretty fast spell work. The hat was right in putting you here. Only a Slytherin could be that cunning." said Coluber. Albus smiled. _Maybe the Hat was right after all._ After finishing breakfast, Albus and Scorpius walked with Rose over to the Charms classroom.

"I saw what you did to James. I must say, I'm impressed you could cast that Banishing Charm. It's a fourth-year class spell, you know." said Rose.

"Well most of the spells you can do are N.E.W.T. level, so I pale in comparison to you." Albus said with a sly smile on his face. Scorpius chuckled and Rose rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. When they got to the Charms classroom Albus found that many of the Ravenclaws were staring at him with menacing, disapproving looks on their faces. _Great,_ thought Albus,_ I suppose James has got the whole school turned against me._ Albus sat down in a chair next to Scorpius and Rose sat on his other side. Albus noticed that there was a feather on each of their desks. Just then Professor Padma Patil, head of Ravenclaw house, strode into the room. She was a nice looking witch. She was of Indian descent and had long, wavy black hair tied into a ponytail. She smiled as the students filed into the room and, once everyone was seated, began speaking to the class.

"Hello first years! Welcome to your first class at Hogwarts! I'm Professor Patil for those of you who don't know. Welcome to Charms class! This is the class where you'll learn all sorts of neat magic spells to impress your friends and family. Today I thought we'd start with a simple Levitation Charm. Now, with all spells, the incantation is critically important in casting the spell properly. The incantation is _wingardium leviosa._ Make sure you pronounce it correctly! Everyone repeat after me without wands, _win-GARD-i-um levi-O-sa._"

Albus felt kind of stupid repeating the words over, but he remembered the story about the troll in his father's first year and realized it must be important.

"Now, everyone, the wand movement is the second important step in casting the spell. For the Levitation Charm, the movement is a swish-and-flick motion, detailed by diagram on page four of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1._ So practice now! Pick up your wands and make a swish and flick motion without saying the incantation." Albus flipped to page four and began practicing the swish-and-flick motion. He glanced over at Scorpius, who had his head drooping in boredom and was muttering _wingardium leviosa_ under his breath, making the feather levitate up and down with his wand movements. Rose was glaring daggers at Scorpius for not following directions. "Alright class! Now put it all together! Swish-and-flick and say the incantation _wingardium leviosa_. Be sure to point your wands at the feathers in front of you!"

Albus, eager to try it out, pointed his wand at the feather and said, "_wingardium leviosa!_" The feather did nothing, much to Albus' disappointment. He noticed Rose's feather was levitating with some effort on her part, while Scorpius' feather was already floating towards the ceiling. Other than Rose and Scorpius, no one else had successfully pulled it off.

"Very good, Mr. Malfoy! Five points to Slytherin! And five points to Ravenclaw for your efforts Miss Weasley!" said Professor Patil. Rose smiled and Scorpius rolled his eyes at her in mock annoyance.

"Here Albus, you forgot the swish-and-flick," said Scorpius, positioning Albus' wand in the right direction. Albus tried again and with "_wingardium leviosa_" the feather began floating, much to Albus' jubilation. Professor Patil smiled and awarded Slytherin five more points.

"Alright class! Seeing as though are time is almost up today, all the homework you have is to keep practicing the levitation charm. Remember, swish and flick!" said Professor Patil. Albus began packing up his materials and inquired as to how Scorpius was so good at Charms.

"I guess I'm just a natural at it. You had a pretty good Banishing Charm this morning though. That's a fourth-year charm. Of course, I can also perform the summoning charm as well. I think I'm just really good at Charms." said Scorpius.

"Well you'll be hearing from me when we get Charms homework," said Albus. Scorpius chuckled.

"I must say, Scoprius, I agree with Al. That was a very good levitation charm." said Rose.

"Thanks Rose," said Scorpius. The three of them finished packing up their bags and walked out of the Charms classroom to Transfiguration. As he walked down the hallway, he passed by many of his cousins and family. He waved at them but they all seemed to ignore him and act like nothing happened.

"Don't worry Al, they'll come around," said Rose. Albus sighed. He still hadn't received a response from his parents_. Maybe they were lying because they thought I'd definitely be in Gryffindor._ Plus now the rest of his family was ignoring him, save for one person. He really wished James would ignore him too, but his brother just wouldn't let up. Unfortunately the perpetrator in question had just rounded the corner with his group of friends and spotted Albus.

"Hey, Slithery! How's old Voldy's bed?" said James. His group of friends (whom Al and Scorpius had decided later to refer to as "the Gryffindorks") broke into a fit of hysterical laughter. Albus' eyes narrowed, but he decided not to retort. _I'm a Slytherin now,_ he thought, _I've got to start acting like one._ But the rage at his own brother being this vindictive welled up inside of him. He hoped he wouldn't perform wandless underage magic again like he did over the past summer.

Albus remembered that remarkable day in July like it was yesterday. James had decided to make fake fire to trick Albus into thinking the house was burning. Albus had a panic attack and somehow froze the entire house in a casing of ice, since he was so scared and upset. Aunt Hermione remarked that it was one of the strongest examples of wandless, underage magic she had ever seen. Of course, the entire family spent the good rest of the day defrosting the house, much to Albus' dismay. It was pretty cool to look at though, and Albus was even more amazed that he had been the one to do it.

This time felt much like that, where he was scared and upset. He wondered if he'd be able to freeze his brother's feet to the ground. And, much to Albus' surprise, his wish was granted. In an instant, James and his friends' feet were encased in a coating of solid ice, sticking them to the floor and preventing them from moving. James glared at Albus and loudly announced,

"Just like a slimy Slytherin scumbag, you pull a dirty trick like this. I've got a proposition for you, Albus Snivellus Potter! We duel, Saturday at midnight at the seventh floor corridor. If your not there, I'll tell everyone in the school about the most embarrassing stories of your life. Learn as many pathetic spells in class as you can in five days!" said James with a smirk. One of his girl friends was able to defrost them and James stormed past, intentionally bumping into Albus on the shoulder.

"Well, it looks like you've got yourself a duel on your hands," said Scorpius with a smirk.

"It isn't funny! You aren't seriously considering going to the seventh floor corridor, are you Al?" Rose asked in an uncannily similar tone as Aunt Hermione. For some reason, Al thought there was something important on the seventh floor corridor from the stories of his parents, uncles, and aunts. He supposed he would go there some time and figure out what it was.

"I'll think about it…," said Albus. Rose gave him an _oh-no-you-don't_ look and Scorpius gave him a sheepish grin. For the rest of the way to Transfiguration Albus pondered why his family was treating him this way. _Do they really think I've gone evil since I'm in Slytherin? Why are they ignoring me?_ Albus kept up this somber silence through Transfiguration, barely even paying attention to Professor McGonagall's lecture and failing miserably to transfigure a matchstick into a needle.

"Mr. Potter, are you even paying attention?" snapped Professor McGonagall, seeing Albus was staring morosely out the window.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry professor…," said Albus sadly. Professor McGonagall merely shook her head and moved on.

"Here Al, you have the wand movement wrong, it isn't swish-and-flick," said Rose, demonstrating with her wand. She had turned about seventeen matchsticks into needles during the course of the class. Albus heeded her suggestions and, to his surprise, the matchstick in front of him turned into a needle, making him a little happier.

"Alright class, homework is one parchment length on the five laws that form the basis of modern transfiguration! I expect it in two days, on Friday!" said Professor McGonagall. Albus packed up his books and left the classroom somberly with Rose and Scorpius in tow.

Rose and Scorpius decided to inquire as to his sudden depression.

"Al, what's the matter?" asked Rose.

"Nothing. I'm fine," said Albus.

"We both know you're lying, so just tell us," said Scorpius.

"Ok, fine. All of my family has been ignoring me ever since yesterday when I was sorted into Slytherin. James and his band of stupid Gryffindorks—" Scorpius chuckled when Al said this, making Albus smile slightly "—are annoying me, calling me a disgrace to my family, saying that I've deceived you all. My parents haven't responded to my letter yet, so I guess they lied when they said they'd be okay with it. I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT!" yelled Albus on the verge of tears.

"Al, calm down. The family will eventually come to it; they'll have to accept it. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical reason why your parents haven't responded yet. I know Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and they wouldn't ignore you just because you're in Slytherin. Now why don't you just smile and have fun today instead of worrying about something that you can't change at the moment?"

Albus smiled. Rose always had a way of cheering him up. _I suppose she's right,_ thought Albus, _I shouldn't worry about it now_.

"Where's your Slytherin spirit, Al? How can people expect you to be the next Dark Lord if you're crying?" asked Scorpius. Al started laughing hysterically. _Well, that's what friends are for._ The trio entered the Great Hall and Rose headed over to the Ravenclaw table while Albus and Scorpius sat down at the end of the Slytherin table.

"So, what do you think of our classes so far?" asked Scorpius.

"They're pretty fun, actually," said Albus, "I can't wait for Potions and D.A.D.A. though. They're my two favorite subjects to read about."

"Cool. I always liked Charms and Transfiguration myself," said Scorpius. Albus finished his lunch a little early and was browsing through _A Beginner's Guide to Potion-making_, the textbook Slughorn required for his class. A little bit later Albus got up with Scorpius and headed off to D.A.D.A. with the Gryffindors.

They entered the classroom which was filled with all sorts of dark magic detection apparatuses, such as ornate sneakoscopes and foe glasses. Posters detailing various dark creatures, such as dementors and acromantulas adorned the walls. One poster in particular caught Albus' eye. It was a poster of a Runespoor, the creature whose scale resided in his wand. Beneath it was its ministry classification of XXXX, meaning the creature was considered dangerous and needed an expert in the field to handle. Albus stared at the three-headed serpent and the three heads acted very much like Rose had described earlier. The left head seemed to be contemplating its next move, while the middle head stared off into space, lost in deep thought, and the right head snapped viciously and glared at Albus.

"Hey, Potty! They got a shrine to your idol Voldy in your common room?" said a voice from behind Albus. Albus spun around, averting his attention from the Runespoor. A ruffian-looking boy with brownish hair stood with his arms crossed staring menacingly at Albus. The rest of the Gryffindors chuckled and elbowed each other as they watched. Albus felt the surge of emotion like before, but worked to suppress it and keep an air of Slytherin calmness.

"What's it to you, Gryffindork?" said Albus coolly. Now it was the Slytherins turn to chuckle.

"The name's Long, Potty. Daniel Long. You got that? Or do I need to beat it into your snakey little brain for you?" said Daniel menacingly. Albus imagined how funny it would be if a snowball came and hit Daniel in the face. Sure enough, a snowball materialized out of thin air and whizzed past Albus and pelted Daniel in the face.

Just then Professor Jonathan Corby, a former auror, entered the room. Professor Corby was a middle-aged man, about the same as Albus' dad. He had sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a super-annoying air of valor and bravery about him. Albus never liked him when he was an auror, and neither did Albus' dad. He stared at Albus, and Albus gulped. _Uh-oh, _Albus thought,_ I hope he didn't see that._ Unfortunately, Professor Corby had.

"Ten points from Slytherin for that dirty backhanded tactic, Mr. Potter. You should be ashamed of yourself." Daniel mouthed _dead-meat_ at Albus from behind Professor Corby before wiping the snow off and sitting back down at his seat. Professor Corby then strode to the front of the class and began talking to the students.

"Good Day ladies and gentlemen! And Slytherins of course!" said Professor Corby. The Gryffindors burst into laughter at this remark, and Albus merely rolled his eyes. _It isn't even that funny._ "Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts! Here you will learn how to counter spells, magical creatures, and other sorts of dark magic that can be thrown at you by people like those sitting on the left side of the room!" Again, the Gryffindors, who were sitting on the right, burst into hysterical laughter. _Wow, I forgot how annoying this guy is._

They spent the majority of the class taking notes on the proper way to handle the Dark Arts, and Professor Corby threw in a couple of Slytherin-demeaning jokes throughout the course of his lecture. The Slytherins were expected to write a parchment-length on how the Dark Arts were bad, while the Gryffindors had the night off, much to their jubilation and amusement. The Slytherins moaned and trudged off to Potions class. Albus and Scorpius met up with Rose on their way to class.

"How was D.A.D.A? Herbology was just great! Professor Longbottom is so cool!" asked Rose.

"Awful. Professor Corby has this grudge against Slytherins for some reason. He took ten points form Slytherin because Al got mad at some Gryffindork and pelted him in the face with a snowball." said Scorpius.

"Wait, where did you get the snowball, Al?" asked Rose.

"I guess I conjured it. It was wordless and wandless magic, so I'm not sure how I did it, but I did." said Albus. Rose looked surprised.

"Also, we have an essay to write while the Gryffindors get the night off!" said Scorpius indignantly.

"Wow, that's awful. I feel really bad for you guys. Oh well, we're here at the Potions classroom!" said Rose happily as she practically skipped into the classroom. Scorpius glanced at Albus as if to say _she's mental, isn't she?_ Albus rolled his eyes and smirked back.

"Welcome, welcome everyone! This is potions class, the science of brewing amazing magical concoctions! I am Professor Slughorn, head of Slytherin House, and I welcome you all!" said Professor Slughorn. He glanced around the room with a broad smile on his face, and his gazed lingered on Albus for a little longer than usual before continuing.

"The most important thing about making potions is heeding instructions carefully. Too much of a certain ingredient can produce very undesirable effects. For example, adding too much powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood during the making of a simple sleeping potion can produce—well, does anyone know?"

Albus' hand immediately shot up. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Seven powdered roots of asphodel when mixed with an infusion of wormwood will produce a simple sleeping draught. But, when fourteen powdered roots of asphodel are used, it produces a sleeping potion so powerful that it is known as the Draught of Living Death."

"Very good, Mr. Potter! Five points to Slytherin! Now, that being said about ingredients and what not, I want you all to attempt to brew a sufficient Boil-Cure Potion. The details of the ingredients can be found on page three of your books." said Professor Slughorn. Albus hurriedly flipped open his book to page three. _This potion looks simple,_ he thought, _it only has three ingredients._

Albus got the dried nettles, snake fang, and aconite nectar and set them on the table in front of his cauldron. With a simple _lacarnem inflamare,_ a flame was lit under his cauldron. Albus monitored the flame to make sure it was "not too tall" like the book said, before adding in the aconite nectar. He stirred it counterclockwise seventeen times, heeding the book's instructions carefully. He weighed the dried nettles, making sure it was exactly seven grams before dumping them into his bubbling cauldron. He stirred the concoction clockwise fourteen times and then added four crushed snake fangs. Albus' potion turned a serene shade of midnight blue. He glanced at the book and noticed that his potion was slightly off in color. The one in the book was more of an indigo than a midnight blue. He flipped to the back of the book and looked up "neutral ingredients." Spotting lilac petals on the list, he took a tiny pinch from his potions' supplies and dropped it into the cauldron. The midnight-blue concoction received just the slightest hint of purple. His boil-potion was now the exact same color as the one in the book.

Professor Slughorn then began coming around and inspecting everyone's potions, giving them a grade for their assignment. Professor Slughorn seemed to frown at everyone's potions, which ranged anywhere from blood red to acid green. When he got to Albus' table, he smiled when he saw Scorpius' potion. Somehow Scorpius had managed to make a cerulean blue potion.

"I believe you added too many dried nettles. But it is still better than a lot of people in this room. " said Slughorn, scribbling an _EE _for Exceeds Expectations on his grade book. He smiled when he got to Rose's potion. "Ah, Miss Weasley! I must say your mother was simply brilliant, and she must have passed it on to you!" Rose's potion was dark blue, kind of like Albus' was before. Professor Slughorn happily wrote an _O_ on his grade book. But, when he got to Albus' potion, his smile nearly stretched from ear to ear.

"My dear boy! This potion is perfect! Absolutely flawless! I expected nothing less of you! Five points to Slytherin for this astounding achievement!" said Professor Slughorn, scribbling an _O _in his grade book. Rose frowned and glanced from her cauldron to Albus', trying to see what exactly she did wrong. "Alright! For those of you who didn't receive an _O_, I'd like you to write a short essay on what you did wrong and what you should have done instead. That is all!"

As many of the students filed out of the classroom, Albus, Rose, and Scorpius stayed behind talking about their potions.

"How did you make such a great potion, Al?" asked Scorpius.

"Yes, I must know this right now, Al! How did you make a potion that good?" demanded Rose.

"I noticed my potion wasn't exactly indigo like the book had said, so I looked up a list of neutral ingredients in the back and put a pinch of lilac petals into the potion." said Albus proudly. Rose scribbled everything Albus said down as if he was the resident expert on potions.

"Ah, you three were simply delightful today!" said Professor Slughorn, noticing that the trio were the only students left in the room. _Here it comes,_ thought Albus. "I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a short little dinner with a couple of other students on Friday. I'd be delighted if you could come."

"Sure, professor, we'd love to," said Albus. Professor Slughorn's eyes lit up in jubilation. _I suppose I'm his crowning achievement,_ Albus thought.

"Well, see you next class!" said Professor Slughorn. Albus happily walked with Rose and Scorpius to the Great Hall. He parted with Rose before sitting down to tuck in at the Slytherin table. He heard the distinct hooting of his owl Khione and looked up to see her drop a small white letter on his plate. _Well, at least it isn't a Howler, _thought Albus_._ He opened it and began eagerly reading it, recognizing his Dad's handwriting.

Dear Albus,

I'm sorry we didn't respond sooner but we just didn't know how to react. We're far from disappointed in you and I hope you are getting along well at Hogwarts. Slytherin is an excellent house that has just had a bad reputation because of Voldemort. So what's the common room like? How do you like your classes? What's your favorite class? Did you say hi to Hagrid and Neville for us? We miss you so much already and we can't wait until you come back for holiday break. We are so proud of you for not being afraid to be different. Have loads of fun at Hogwarts!

That's perfectly normal for Snape by the way. He usually comes off as cold and distant because he didn't have the most pleasant life. I'm sure if you get to know him you'll see what I was saying about how brave he was during the War.

Don't worry too much about James, we've already begun sending him letters on your behalf. Just give him time to get used to it. He's grown up in a world where all Slytherins are considered bad. I'm sure he'll come around eventually. Oh, Lily wants to say something, hold on…

Hi Al! I hope you're having a lot of fun at Hogwarts! It's really boring without you here. Kreacher and I both miss you. I think it's really cool that you're in Slytherin! It doesn't matter to me what house you're in, you're still my Al! Could you send me some candy, if you get the chance? I know you're not allowed to go into Hogsmeade but maybe during Halloween you could get me some. See you at Christmas Al! Don't forget to write to me like you said!

Well, with that being said, I hope you have fun at Hogwarts. Tell your mother and I about all of your experiences and classes, we'll be glad to hear it! We hope to hear from you soon!

Love,  
Dad and Mom

And Lily and Kreacher

Albus smiled. His parents and Lily don't care that he's in Slytherin. _Maybe this isn't so bad after all,_ he thought. He finished his dinner and headed back to the Common Room with Scorpius to work on his Transfiguration and D.A.D.A. homework. After he finished he headed up to his bed in the dormitory and fell asleep thinking about how Slytherin wasn't so bad after all.


	4. Chapter 4: The Secret of the 7th Floor

**Chapter 4: The Secret of the Seventh Floor**

The remaining two days of class in the week were a mixture of good and bad for Albus. He got to see the rest of his classes, and many were like his family had described. Herbology, like Rose had said, was a super fun class. Albus had Herbology both days and enjoyed every minute of it. Neville—or should he say _Professor Longbottom_—was a really cool teacher. On the first day of class, he showed everyone how useful magical flora could be by demonstrating the sound transmitting powers of the Psisis Rose, which enables wizards to communicate with each other from miles away. They spent the remainder of Thursday's class experimenting on a random first-year level plant in order to figure out its abilities without consulting a book. Albus got a strange plant which he figured out had the ability to block mild curses and hexes. Neville awarded him five points to Slytherin and informed him that it was Kremlin Ivy, just recently discovered in the jungles of Central Africa.

Scorpius, unfortunately, attempted to cast a Reductor Curse at his plant, which turned out to be a _mimbulus mimbletonia_. Knowing how much Professor Longbottom loved that particular species of plant, Albus had shouted a warning at Scorpius before he cast the curse. But Scorpius refused and was unceremoniously doused in a more than healthy dosage of stinksap. The Gryffindors all laughed at him and Professor Longbottom glared at them and took away five points from his own house due to their "rudeness and lack of sympathy." He then proceeded to _scourgify_ Scorpius, cleaning him of all stinksap, and then informed Scorpius what the plant was and what purpose it served.

"How was I supposed to know that the sap, when mixed with about seven other ingredients, produces a cure for shyness?" said Scorpius indignantly, wiping the stinksap off his books. Albus merely shrugged and kept prodding his Kremlin Ivy, which was dilating its blooms. The next class was when Neville's lecture began, with him giving the fundamentals of Herbology before presenting them all with a small little plant that reminded Albus of a calla lily. Neville went on to explain that the plant was known as a Bellchime Lily, or _lilius sonorus,_ and assigned them the task of pruning off the dead leaves_._ Unfortunately, he neglected to mention that by tapping each of the gold-colored blossoms, the flower emitted an extremely loud bellowing noise. Most of the class was either shrieking in agony or covering their ears, except for Albus. Neville noticed this and asked,

"Al, how come you're not crying in agony?"

"Well, professor, it could be worse. They could be mandrakes."

"Good to know that one of the Potter children read the Herbology books I gave them for Christmas." he said with a smile.

"Oh, Lily's read them too. It's just James that sees no point in reading." said Albus with a chuckle. The best part of Herbology, however, was that Neville didn't assign homework that entire week.

"We'll get around to assignments, but since it's your first week, I'll let you off easy," he said, beaming at them all. Scorpius, aside from his incident with the _mimbulus mimbletonia, _agreed with Albus' view of Neville's class.

Just like his parents had said, History of Magic was an exceptionally boring class. Professor Binns, who has been the teacher of History of Magic for nearly one-hundred-and-thirty years, droned on and on in an extremely monotone voice about Goblin Rebellions of the fourteenth century and dark wizards from the seventeenth century.

The only thing that Albus managed to recognize was the story of the Deathstick, which sounded a lot like the Elder Wand mentioned in the Tale of The Three Brothers, a fairy tale that his mom used to read to him. Aunt Luna Scamander (although she really wasn't his aunt but a family friend) insisted that it wasn't a fairy tale and that Albus' dad knew where the three Deathly Hallows were. At that point, Albus' dad told Luna to "hush," and Albus' mom quickly glossed over it by saying that it was "rubbish," something uncharacteristic of them to say to their long-time friend. James was too much of an insufferable dolt to pick up the hint, but Albus and Lily remained curious about it ever since. The mention of the wand in History of Magic sparked Albus' curiosity more, and he made a mental note to ask Rose about it later.

Transfiguration continued to be challengingly difficult, with McGonagall already assigning a test for Monday on the fundamentals of Modern Transfiguration. Charms was fun and rewarding, and Professor Patil moved on to teach _lumos_ and _nox_ as well, which Albus, Rose, and Scorpius quickly mastered. Potions was fun for Albus, with him earning five more points for Slytherin when he effortlessly brewed a pristine Calming Draught. Professor Slughorn was delighted with Albus, waving at him and saying hello whenever Albus passed the plump old wizard in the halls. Defense Against the Dark Arts continued to be excruciatingly annoying, with Professor Corby verbally abusing Slytherin house whenever he got the chance. Scorpius attempted to retaliate, saying that Corby's treatment of Slytherin was unfair and unjust. This, however, only got Slytherin to lose all the points Albus had gained for it and landed Scorpius in detention on Saturday afternoon.

"It's okay, mate, I'm sure we'll win the points back," said Albus to a depressed looking Scorpius as they started walking back to the Slytherin common room after they had their last class.

"And where do you think you're going, Albus Severus Potter?" said a voice from behind him in a highly annoying tone. Albus spun around.

"Go away James—oh, erm, sorry Rose, didn't know it was you…," said Albus, shocked to find his cousin standing there instead of his brother.

"Oh, I wouldn't expect you to recognize my voice or anything, it's not like were related…," said Rose sarcastically. Scorpius snickered and Albus glared at him.

"Well, what do you want, Ickle Rosiekins?" said Al with a sly smile on his face. Now it was Rose's turn to glare.

"Well, I thought it prudent to remind you that you and I are supposed to have tea with Hagrid oh, I don't know, _now_!" said Rose.

"Whoops! I almost forgot!" said Al, "Come on, Scorpius, I'm sure he won't mind if you come too!" Scorpius looked a little dazed but followed Albus and Rose nonetheless as they rushed out to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Albus marveled at how the forest seemed dark as night despite the fact that it was broad day outside. They knocked on the massive door of Hagrid's tiny little cosy cabin. Hagrid swung open the door and they were ceremoniously tackled by a large dog.

"Down, Fang! Down, yeh ol' mutt! Well 'ello there Al an' Rose! I was wonderin' when yeh'd be comin' down ter see me!" said Hagrid.

"Well_ Al_ would have forgotten had I not reminded him," said Rose in an uncanny imitation of Aunt Hermione. Sometimes Rose could be really annoying. Hagrid chuckled before his gaze found Scorpius.

"Erm, can I help yeh', Malfoy?" asked Hagrid nervously.

"Oh, he's with us, he's not like his father," said Albus. Hagrid's big black eyes narrowed.

"Well, erm, if yer sure. I hafta tell yeh that his dad wasn't the nicest o' guys," said Hagird.

"Um, Mr. Hagrid, like Al said, I'm not my father. I'm sorry for whatever harm he caused to you and your, erm, _beautiful_ creatures," said Scorpius. _Beautiful is one way to put it,_ thought Albus, _terrifying is another._

"Well, yeh certainly seem different! All righ' I trust yeh! C'mon in yeh three!" said Hagrid. He motioned for them to come in and they entered his cabin. It was relatively small but breathed an air of down-to-earth homeyness, much like the Burrow. It had a massive armchair which Albus assumed was where Hagrid sat, and a small kitchenette complete with a table and three stools. Hagrid moved over to put a tea kettle on the stove while Scorpius was licked to death by Fang. Scorpius was rolling on the floor in laughter when Hagrid turned around, and Hagrid smiled. Albus figured that Hagrid finally understood that Scorpius wasn't like Draco. Once the tea boiled, Hagrid poured it into three little cups and one big cup and motioned for them to sit down. He got out some rock cakes (which Albus had been warned about) and placed them in the center of the table.

"So, how do yeh like Hogwarts?" asked Hagrid.

"It's great! I love all of my classes!" said Rose excitedly. Scorpius and Albus rolled their eyes.

"Well, for Slytherins, D.A.D.A. is just awful," said Albus.

"Why could tha' be?" asked Hagrid.

"Well, Professor Corby has this grudge against us. He thinks we're all dark wizards or something. Kind of like the anti-Snape, in essence." said Scorpius. Albus nodded in agreement. Hagrid looked at the two of them like they were both daft.

"Wha' do yeh mean, Corby's the nicest bloke…," said Hagrid.

"Not to Slytherins, he isn't," said Albus.

"Well, I see wha' he means. Slytherin hasn't been…erm…looked upon too well since the war," said Hagrid.

"But why should we be judged for something a bunch of Slytherins did twenty years ago?" said Albus.

"Well I'm not sayin' tha' it's right, Alby, I'm just sayin' that's how it is," said Hagrid sadly.

"I don't find it very fair either. I mean, all of our family has been ignoring Albus just because he's in Slytherin," said Rose.

"Wha'! That's an outrage! Why would yer family ignore ya like tha'?" said Hagrid.

"Well, everyone's ignored me except James. He hasn't left me alone," said Albus.

"James has been harassing Albus for the past three days and Al's really upset about it," said Rose.

"That's not righ'! He's supposed ter be yer brother!" said Hagrid angrily. "I know wha' I'll do. I'll send a letter ter yer parents, Al."

"Thanks Hagrid. Also I wanted to ask you, is there anything special about the Seventh Floor Corridor?" asked Albus, a sly smile on his face. Rose shot him an _oh-no-you-don't_ look. Albus and Rose both knew that they could get Hagrid to tell them anything as long as they tried hard enough. Sure enough, Hagrid didn't meet Albus' eyes.

"Erm, no I don' think so. Jus' a regular floor, isn't it?" said Hagrid.

"There aren't any secret rooms or anything?" asked Albus.

"No, unless yeh count—no, yer not pullin' one on me like yer parents did! I'm not tellin' yeh about the Room o' Requirement!" said Hagrid. Hagrid suddenly realized he had just told them too much and promptly refused to say any more about the subject.

"Well, it's getting kind of late. We have a dinner with Professor Slughorn to go to. Send us a letter when you want to have tea again!" said Rose. The three of them said their good-byes, stocked up on rock cakes (which they were too polite to refuse), and left Hagrid's hut.

"Bye, Albus, Rose, an' Scorpius!" said Hagrid, waving a hand the size of a dustbin from his doorway. The three of them waved back and began walking to Professor Slughorn's office.

"Wow, did you know that Hagrid would tell you that easily?" asked Scorpius.

"Of course, Hagrid's spilled the beans to our parents before too," said Rose, and they all chuckled. They rounded one of the corners inside the castle, only to come face to face with James and the Gryffindorks. Unfortunately, it seems Daniel Long and his friends had joined their group of annoying half-wits.

"Where're you going, Albus Snivellus Potter?" said James with a smirk on his face. Albus had decided to handle this situation with an air of aloofness. He scowled at his brother before replying coolly,

"Just going to Professor Slughorn's dinner party. You know, the one he only invites intelligent people to?" said Albus. Scorpius chuckled. James glared at him and turned his attention to Rose.

"I can't believe you would associate yourself with Slytherin garbage like this!" he said, pointing at Albus.

"That 'garbage' to which you're referring is your own brother, so maybe you should stop annoying him!" said Rose indignantly.

"It's ok Rose, Al will show them at the duel," said Scorpius. The three of them walked past James, blatantly ignoring him.

"You aren't seriously considering going to that duel are you, Al? AL!" shouted Rose. Albus, however, was staring off into space, trying to figure out what the secret was about the Room of Requirement. He supposed that he would check after Professor Slughorn's dinner. They walked into Professor Slughorn's office to find a group of third year and older students. A couple of them Albus recognized, like Annabel Williams and Coluber Mortinson.

"Ah, and here are my three star first years! Come sit down, everyone!" said Professor Slughorn, motioning them all to sit at a table with elegant place-settings. Professor Slughorn had the house elves make the most delicious assortment of mouthwatering food that Albus had ever seen. They all eagerly started digging in while Professor Slughorn went around the table asking everyone about their family connections. Apparently Coluber's family was the part-owner of the Quidditch team Puddlemere United. Annabel's family owned one of the expensive department stores that were opened in Diagon Alley after the war ended. When he got around to Scorpius, Professor Slughorn kindly asked,

"Well, after that nasty stint with the Death Eaters, I can't expect the Malfoys to have gone down for the count. What is it that your family is currently doing Scorpius?"

"Father's invested a great deal of money into Puddlemere United and a couple of other teams, so we get free tickets a lot. He is actively trying to improve our family's image. He's recently opened a shop in Diagon Alley, I believe you may have heard of it, it's called Malfoy's Quidditch Supplies?"

"Ah, yes of course! I pass by it every time I go to Diagon Alley!" said Slughorn. Slughorn turned to Rose and Albus, his smile nearly reaching ear to ear. Rose and Albus exchanged glances with Scorpius, as if to say, _we-can-top-that._

"So, Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter! How is your rather large family coming along? Still basking in the Wizarding World's eternal admiration, I presume?" chuckled Professor Slughorn.

"Well, you know, Dad and Uncle Ron are busy running the auror department." said Albus.

"My mom is busy running the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Aunt Ginny writes a weekly column for the Quidditch section of _The Daily Prophet_." said Rose.

"Uncle George is busy running the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes shop, which has a branch now open in Hogsmeade." said Albus.

"Uncle Percy works as the undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and is a prime candidate for Minister once the elections come around." said Rose.

"Uncle Charlie still works with dragons in Romania, and has created his own dragon preserve." said Albus.

"And finally Uncle Bill works as head of the Gringotts Protection Agency and is still sent on Curse-Breaker missions to Egypt." said Rose.

"My, my, that's quite a family you've got there! No wonder all of them are famous!" said Slughorn, "All right everyone, thank you very much for coming! I'll let you all know when I have another dinner planned!"

Albus, Rose, and Scorpius left Slughorn's office and walked back to the main staircase. Rose parted with Albus and Scorpius before Scorpius asked,

"So what are you planning on doing about the duel?"

"Well, I need to find out how to get into the Room of Requirement, so I was thinking about going tonight to find out. The way the name implies it is a room that appears and becomes whatever you want." said Albus deviously. Scorpius gave him a sly smile.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Scorpius. Albus nodded.

"But I have to figure out if that's possible first."

Later that evening Albus and Scorpius snuck out of the Slytherin common room and managed to avoid encountering Filch or any of the teachers (although they did get into a close call with Professor Corby) on their way to the Seventh Floor. Albus examined the seventh floor very closely. There was really nothing that special about the floor. There was a rather large tapestry on the right wall and a bunch of paintings on the other, and that was pretty much it.

"It's called the Room of _Requirement_, so I suppose it only appears when you need something from it." Just then they heard the footsteps and wheezing of Filch and the two of them panicked. _Oh no! _thought Albus, _we need a place to hide, we need a place to hide._ Just then a door appeared where a blank stretch of wall had been previously, and Albus realized he'd found the room. Glancing back at the lantern light that was growing closer, Albus added, _We need a place to hide that Filch can't get into._ The two of them opened the door and stepped inside, shutting the door firmly behind them. They heard Filch yell from the other side of the door.

"Ah! Do I smell students out of bed? They went in this door, Mrs. Norris!" They heard Filch struggle to twist the doorknob. "Ah, must be locked. PEEVES! I know you're behind this, and I'll get you for it!" said Filch. They heard his footsteps fading. After a while, they felt brave enough to walk out the door.

"Well, that's one way to get into the room, and one way to keep people out of it!" said Scorpius with a devious grin on his face.

"It makes me wonder, a lot of other people must've known about this room, right?" asked Albus.

"I suppose so, why?" said Scorpius.

"Watch," said Albus. _I need a place to hide my…erm…book, _thought Albus. He opened the door and could not believe his eyes. Mountains and piles of contraband and lost items littered a room the size of the main hallway at Gringotts.

"What did you ask it?" asked Scorpius.

"I asked it for a place to hide something, figuring a ton of people would have hidden some cool stuff in here," said Albus.

"Genius, mate," said Scorpius. The two of them walked inside. The first thing Albus noticed about this particular iteration of the room was that nearly everything had a smoky, charred look to it, as if it had been burned in a long ago fire. He suddenly remembered a war story his father told him.

_"So Vincent Crabbe set fire to this one room and nearly killed us all. Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, and myself escaped on brooms, but not before saving Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle. We couldn't save Crabbe though." said Albus' Dad._

_ "You saved the people that tried to kill you?" asked Albus incredulously._

_"Yes, as a matter of fact, we did." said Harry._

"Scorpius, this is the room that caught fire during the Battle of Hogwarts. This was the room where my dad saved yours." said Albus.

"Yeah, I just realized that too," said Scorpius. The two of them scoured the room, trying to find anything valuable worth salvaging. Albus came across an ornate cabinet that seemed only slightly damaged by the flames. He opened it and noticed a single book on one of its shelves. Picking it up, Albus noticed it was a copy of _Advanced Potion Making,_ a N.E.W.T. level potion book. He opened the cover to the first page and gasped when he saw the signature:

_**This Book is Property of the Half-Blood Prince**_

_The Half-Blood Prince,_ thought Albus, _this was Snape's copy of Advanced Potion Making._ He flipped through and noticed that Professor Snape had crossed out and modified the directions as he saw fit. _These must make the best potions! I've got to try them, _thought Albus.

"What do you have there, Al?" asked Scorpius, who dropped an ornate tiara-like object which was broken onto a pile of glass sneakoscopes.

"Professor Snape's copy of _Advanced Potion Making_! And it's got his own spells in it!" said Albus, noticing a couple of incantations scribbled into the margins of some pages.

"Cool! You think you could use any of them on James?" said Scorpius.

"I'm not sure, I'll have to experiment with them tomorrow. It's kind of late, we should get back to the Common Room." said Albus.

"This room is so cool!" said Scorpius as the two opened the door and peered out into the hallway to see if anyone was there. Seeing no one, Albus and Scorpius strode into the hallway and shut the door to the Room of Requirement behind them. The door magically disappeared, since it was no longer "required."

_James picked the wrong floor to have a duel with me on, _thought Albus, snickering to himself. The duo managed to make it back to the dungeons without detection and Scorpius, who was extremely exhausted, headed up to bed while Al sat in front of the fireplace and flipped through the book. He glanced over at Professor Snape's portrait, only to notice that Snape had awoken from his sleep and was watching Albus.

"What have you got there, Albus?" sneered Snape. _Wait,_ thought Albus, _Did Snape just call me "Albus" and not "Potter?"_

"Just your copy of _Advanced Potion Making._ I found it in the Room of Requirement. Do you mind if I use it?" asked Albus. Snape blinked, as if taken aback that he was actually asked.

"Erm…I suppose you could…as long as you don't use it for foul trickery like your father did." said Snape scornfully.

"My father?" asked Albus curiously.

"Your father used that book to brew seemingly perfect potions for Slughorn in his sixth year. He made Slughorn think that he was a potions genius, when he really wasn't." said Snape. Albus understood.

"I remember when I baked a cake for my dad's birthday and James said he had made it. It's kind of like that isn't it? He took credit for your work." said Albus.

"Yes, I agree, it's exactly like that." said Snape.

"Well, I certainly won't do that. I can modify the directions myself, even though you're a genius at potions. I think I'm pretty good, I brewed a really good Boil-Cure potion on Wednesday. I added a pinch of lilac petals to make the color and texture slightly better." said Albus.

"Very good, it seems you have inherited your grandmother's skill at potions." said Snape, impressed at Albus, which Albus couldn't believe.

"I know about you and her, by the way. I snuck into Dad's pensieve and saw your memories." said Albus. Snapes eyes widened. "I think that was a very brave thing for you to do and I'm sure Grandmom forgives you." Snapes void-like black eyes stared at Albus, impassive yet intriguing. Albus could have sworn he saw a rare smile cross the man's lips, but then Snape said,

"Very well. Might I suggest not using the _sectumsempra_ curse on another wizard like your father did? Good night, Albus." With a flash of billowing black robes, Snape was gone from his portrait. Albus stared at the empty frame for a while before deciding to head up to bed. Well, he definitely wasn't his father anymore. He had made friends with Snape.


	5. Chapter 5: James' Folly

**Chapter 5: James' Folly**

Albus awoke that Saturday feeling somewhat better than how he felt last night as he fell asleep. _Tonight I'll show James to stop annoying me,_ thought Albus, _maybe he'll even go back to the way things were before._ That's really all Albus really wanted. He just wanted his brother back, and his cousins to stop ignoring him. He wasn't really sure how he was going to do it, but he knew something would come from this duel, whether it would be for good or for bad. Albus, being a Slytherin, had thought of a method of escape in case James decided to play a trick on Albus and Filch or Professor Corby showed up. Albus had looked through his plan over and over again, and saw no fault in it at all.

He plopped down into his favorite armchair in the Common Room and began reading Snape's copy of _Advanced Potion Making_. The incantations Snape had invented were ingenious. Albus particularly liked _levicorpus,_ which he could cast nonverbally like the book had instructed. He tried it out on Scorpius and was delighted to find his friend dangling upside-down as if attached to an invisible hook on his left ankle. After an hour or two of practice in the Common Room, Albus had a pretty good grasp of what he would do during his duel with James. Albus had already mastered _protego,_ _expelliarmus_, _levicorpus_, _rictusempra, everte statum,_ and _petrificus totalus._

After having lunch in the Great Hall, Rose had requested Albus come to the library.

"I'm sure you'll be brilliant at the duel, mate," said Scorpius. They parted as Scorpius reluctantly trudged on to go serve his detention with Professor Corby while Rose and Albus headed to the library. After a few moments of silence, Rose decided to unload on Albus.

"You aren't actually going to that blasted duel, are you!" asked Rose.

"Yeah, I am, why?" asked Albus.

"Because you're only going to get in trouble, that's why! I know you can beat that insufferable dolt any day! But going in the middle of the night is dangerous!" said Rose, now in a full tirade.

"How is it dangerous?" asked Albus dubiously.

"You could get killed! Or worse, expelled!" said Rose.

"You really have your priorities mixed up," said Albus with a grin.

"There really isn't any way of talking to you about this, is there?" asked Rose.

"Nope, I've decided," said Albus.

"Fine, let's go then," hissed Rose, motioning for him to enter the library. The Hogwarts library reminded him of Aunt Hermione's library. It was a massive room filled with bookshelves that stacked as far as the eye could see in any direction. Shelves and shelves of books filled the room in a spectacular display of academic prowess. The librarian, Madam Pince, was a stern witch who wouldn't put up with loud talking in her library. If she'd find out you've desecrated a book, you were pretty much done for. Rose led Albus past the wary eye of Madam Pince and over to a table.

"So why am I here?" asked Albus. Rose pulled out a book from her bag and placed it on the table. Albus stared at the cover. _A Beginning Mage's Guide to Elemental Magic_.

"Elemental magic?" asked Albus with one eyebrow raised.

"Elemental magic is a relatively new branch of magic, and it literally means "elemental magic." You see, every wizard and witch has a predetermined element that is part of their identity, much like a patronus or an animagus. Most witches and wizards choose not to pursue the path of elemental magic, but for those that do, it is a very rewarding and useful skill to have. You, my dear cousin, have displayed some very good examples of elemental magic at a very young age. I think you have a certain predisposition for elemental magic, which is why I think you should start learning it, along with me and Scorpius."

"You think I'm an Elemental Mage? Cool!" said Albus. He eagerly reached for the book, but Rose put her hand out to stop him.

"Wait. I'm not finished explaining. The first step in learning elemental magic is to first determine your element. There are seven elements that wizards have been known to control: fire, water, earth, wind, ice, lightning, and shadow. These elements are all related to one another and check each other in terms of power and capabilities." sad Rose.

"Ok, great. So what's my element?" asked Albus. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Erm…I don't think so. What is it?"

"Ice, you moron, Ice! All instances of underage, wandless magic you have done have involved some form of frozen water! Think about it! The time you froze your house, the time you froze James' feet onto the floor, the time you conjured a snowball."

_She's right,_ thought Albus, _I'm an Ice Mage._

"Yeah, you're right! So…now what?" asked Albus, who by this time was feeling very stupid.

"Well, the first thing after determining your element—," Rose picked up the book and opened it to a marked page," –is to 'Begin conjuring your element. Consult the following table as to which basic spell you should start working with. It will confirm your element if you are able to cast one of the seven spells listed with little to no difficulty.'"

Albus looked at the page to which she was referring. There were the seven elements listed, each coupled with a spell:

FIRE: _Incendio _WATER: _Aguamenti_

EARTH: _Georum _ WIND: _Ventus_

ICE: _Glacius_ LIGHTNING: _Fulmine_

SHADOW: _Umbroria_

His eyes found the spell for ice, _glacius_. He took out his wand and whispered,

"_Glacius_."

Immediately the book became encased in a coating of ice, as did most of the table and, unfortunately for Albus, Rose's hands, which had been resting on the page. She presently glared at him and barked for him to defrost her. Not wanting to face the wrath of Rose, he tried _incendio_. To his disappointment, a faint trail of smoke was all that issued from his wand.

"That's not going to work! Ice and fire are polar opposites. If you can master ice you are guaranteed to be horrible at conjuring fire!" barked Rose, "Hurry up! I'm starting to lose circulation in my hand!"

"What do you expect me to do, tell the ice to go away?" asked Albus sarcastically. Rose glared at him.

"Actually, I've read on to find that if you can conjure your element, the next step is learning to control and manipulate it. Why don't you try controlling the ice?" said Rose. Albus raised his eyebrows at her dubiously before making a whip lash motion with his wand in desperation. A blue spark shot out of his wand and a tiny explosion singed the ice, allowing Rose to break free.

"Or you could just practically singe my hands off!" shouted Rose indignantly.

"Shh! Do I hear talking in the library!" came the voice of Madam Pince. Rose and Albus shrunk back in their seats.

"Well, then what's your element, Rose?" asked Albus. Rose, looking rather pleased with herself, took out her wand and said, "_Ventus_." A powerful blast of air struck the book and carried high toward the ceiling. Rose moved her hands in a pulling back motion and the book came gently down, seemingly cushioned by a blanket of air.

"Cool! We have to find out what Scorpius' element is!" said Albus.

"Who ever is talking in my library should leave at once!" shouted Madam Pince. Albus and Rose gathered their things and scuttled past the disapproving eye of Madam Pince before leaving the library. They walked down to the main hallway and saw Scorpius standing there looking around.

"There you two are! I was wondering what on earth you were doing?" said Scorpius.

"I'll tell you later, when it's _required_." said Albus, hoping Scorpius would pick up on the hint and Rose wouldn't. Unfortunately, much the opposite was true.

"Huh?" asked Scorpius.

"Oh no you don't! If you two even think about going near that room tonight I'll….I'll…well I'd better not!" shouted Rose. Albus was paying no attention to her, instead watching his brother and his friends casting _everte statum _and _rictusempra_ for practice. _That's all they have?_ _I can top that, as long as I have my secret weapon _Levicorpus_, _thought Albus. "Al! Hello! Earth to Albus?" asked Rose. Al snapped out of his trance and decided to change the subject.

"So Scorpius, how was the detention?" he asked.

"Awful. Corby made me polish all of his 'Auror of the Month Awards.' Tell your dad to give that award to people who actually deserve it." said Scorpius. Albus snickered. The trio headed into the Great Hall for dinner, with Rose parting, not before giving Albus an indignant _don't-even-think-about-it_ glare. Scorpius started on Albus once he saw Rose was out of earshot.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Scorpius.

"What plan?" asked Xavier from across the table.

"Oh nothing, just some way to get back at my brother and the Gryffindors. We're supposed to have a duel tonight." said Albus. Xavier gave Albus a devious grin.

"Mind if I come along? I do know a bunch of good dueling spells," asked Xavier.

"Sure, Xav, we don't mind." said Albus.

"Where is the duel?" asked Xavier.

"On the Seventh Floor Corridor," said Scorpius.

"So the plan is for me to win the duel with James in about one minute. If he brings along any cronies and they try to duel, that's where you two come in." said Albus in a low voice. Xavier and Scorpius nodded in agreement. "Then, if Filch comes wheezing around, I'll make the Room of Requirement give us a room that only we can get into. We go into the room, the door disappears, and Filch only catches James and the Gryffindors. It's ingenious, isn't it?" Scorpius and Xavier traded sly smiles.

"Ok, that sounds foolproof." said Xavier, "By the way, I think that hat was right about this one, don't you, Scorpius?"

"Oh yes indeed," said Scorpius, "Al, my friend, you have made ol' Salazar proud." Al laughed.

The three of them finished dinner and headed back to the Common Room. They waited out the hours by playing Wizard's Chess. Once it was around 11:30, the three of them silently skulked out of the Common Room. They made it all the way to the sixth floor staircase when they heard a scolding voice behind them.

"And where do you three think you're going?" asked the voice. _Oh no_, _this is it_, _we're done for_. Albus turned around slowly. To his relief, it was only Rose.

"Oh, thank goodness Rosie, it's only you," said Albus.

"Oh don't thank me yet, because you three are going back to your Common Room _right now_!" said Rose indignantly.

"But why? We have to show James he's not as cool as he thinks he is!" said Scorpius.

"No you don't! I know you can beat that prat any day of the week, but you can get in trouble if you stay here!" said Rose.

"That's why we're not staying here, we're going to the Seventh Floor," said Scorpius.

"Oh no you don't! And what if Filch is there? Then what are you going to do?" asked Rose.

"Oh we know exactly what we're going to do. Now do you want to stay here or come with us?" said Scorpius.

"I suppose I have to come with you! The Ravenclaw Knocker didn't think it prudent for me to leave and flew away. He won't be back for a while." said Rose. The four of them ascended the sixth floor staircase and headed to the Seventh Floor, with Rose scolding them the entire way.

Albus squinted. At the end of the Hallway was his brother, flanked on either side by a friend, with a smug look on his face.

"Thought you Slytherin cowards would never show," James smirked.

"I refuse to be called a _coward_," said Albus.

"Mmm…you sure you don't want to back out right now?" asked James, chuckling.

"Nope. I'm ready." said Albus, with a Slytherin smirk on his face.

"Rose, I'm disappointed. Will I have to tell Uncle Ron?" said James.

"You'd better not, James Sirius Potter, I'm trying to get these dolts to go back. And so should you!" said Rose.

"Ah, always the spitting image of Aunt Hermione, aren't you? Well, anyway, let's duel, Albus Snivellus Potter." said James. Albus and James strode to the center of the hall, their wands drawn. They did the traditional duel bow before taking a few strides back and turning around.

"Ready? 3…2…," began James. Before he finished two, James shouted, "_Rictusempra_!" And an orange beam shot towards Albus. Anticipating his brother's trick, Albus whipped his wand up and shouted,

"_Protego_!" An invisible bubble formed around Albus and James' spell dissipated.

"_Expelliarmus_!" shouted James. This time a red beam shot from his wand, and Albus blocked the spell again.

"Aren't you going to go on the offensive, Snivelly?" taunted James. Albus smirked. Mustering up his magical ability, Albus pointed his wand toward James and thought, _Levicorpus_. James, caught off guard by the wordless spell, couldn't block it in time. A yellowish beam shot from Albus' wand and coiled itself around James' left ankle. The spell flipped James upside down and pulled him into the air. Albus started laughing hysterically.

"Oh, tricks I see. Well, in that case, _Expelliarmus_!" shouted James while dangling upside down. Albus blocked the spell before firing a disarming spell of his own. James wand flew out of his hand and Albus caught it. Albus marched up to James and triumphantly,

"I believe this means I win." He thought, _Liberacorpus_, and James fell to the ground. His brother stood up and Albus handed him back his wand, which James quickly snatched.

"What's that, Slytherins being nasty? Show me!" came the voice of Professor Corby from the staircase on the opposite side of the hallway. Albus glanced behind James and noticed his two friends were gone. James smirked.

"Gotcha Snivelly!" taunted James. Albus felt a devious grin etch across his face as he thought, _I need a place only Rose, Scorpius, Xavier, and I can get into._ As he thought this he saw the ever familiar tall wooden doors of the Room of Requirement materialize on the wall.

"Guess again, Gryffindork!" said Albus as he opened the door and ushered Rose, Scorpius, and Xavier inside. He entered and shut the door as tight as possible before James could get to him. He heard James pounding on the door before it stopped as he heard Professor Corby's voice.

"James! What's going on? I heard some Slytherins were out of bed!" said Corby.

"They are! They went in this room!" said James.

"What room?" asked Corby.

"Huh! There was a door here a minute ago!" shouted James. "Albus Snivellus Potter if you're in there, hear this! You're dirty, no good, rotten, slimy, traitorous Slytherin scumbag!"

"Come on James, we'll check the Common Rooms," said Corby, and Albus heard their footsteps grow softer and softer. Scorpius was brave enough to peek his head out the door.

"They're gone," said Scorpius with a sigh of relief.

"Despite the fact that I strongly disapprove of this little adventure, I must say, my dear cousin, that was an excellent and well thought out plan." said Rose. Albus and Scorpius looked taken aback.

"Wait, did you just complement me for how I broke the rules?" asked Albus in disbelief.

"Yes, but now we're stuck in here and Corby is going to check the Common Rooms and see we're not in there! How are you going to get us out of this one you dolt!" shouted Rose.

"Like this." said Albus. _I need a way to get back into the Ravenclaw Common Room_, he thought. An empty picture frame appeared on the wall opposite the door. "Climb into it, Rosie."

"Are you nuts! It's a portrait!" said Rose.

"Just do it. Do you want to get caught?" asked Albus. Rose glared at him before reaching her arm out and, much to her surprise, sticking it through the portrait as if the empty portrait was a door.

"And this will take me back to the Common Room?" asked Rose.

"Yup! Not sure exactly where, but you better get moving!" said Albus.

"But how are you three going to get back?" asked Rose. _I need a way to get back into the Slytherin Common Room,_ thought Albus. Another empty picture frame materialized next to the first. "This better work or you'll be hearing from me, Albus Severus Potter!" said Rose as she climbed into the portrait. As she walked she got smaller and smaller and smaller before they couldn't see her any more.

"Alright, we better get a move on," said Scorpius," You first Al." Albus climbed into the empty portrait. It was rather dark in there, so Albus lit his wand with _lumos_. Scorpius and Xavier did likewise. Albus walked down the passageway, which seemed to go on into nothingness, before he saw a familiar fireplace through another picture frame far away. He quickly ran towards it along with Xavier and Scorpius. Before he got to the end however, he noticed a figure standing off to the side of the picture frame. Albus gasped. It was the full-fledged figure of Severus Snape, not cut off like his portrait was.

"P-professor Snape?" asked Albus.

"Hello, Albus, mind telling me why you have need of my portrait at this hour?" said the sallow-faced man impassively.

"Sorry, Professor, but we were in the Room of Requirement after I beat James in a duel and needed another way back into the Common Room." said Albus.

"Hmm…I see, so you beat your obnoxious Gryffindor brother in a duel? Very nice. How?" asked Snape, his face still impassive.

"I used your _levicorpus_, sir. I caught him off guard since I cast it nonverbally." said Albus. Snapes lips curled into a slight smile.

"Very well, you'd better get back into the Common Room, I won't say a word." said Snape.

"Thank you, Professor," said Albus. Snape motioned with his hand for them to go through the portrait. Albus, Xavier, and Scorpius climbed through the portrait and into the Common Room.

"We'd better get back to bed and make it look like we were asleep," said Xavier. Albus and Scorpius nodded. They began walking up the staircase, with Albus giving Professor Snape one last look before heading up. The greasy haired man winked and, with a billow of black robes, he was gone. Albus, Scorpius, and Xavier silently walked into the dormitory, trying not to wake up Melvin or Adrian. The three of them lay down on their beds and closed their eyes. In about five minutes, they heard Professor Corby's voice coming from the Common Room.

"ALL SLIMY SLYTHERIN STUDENTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE COMMON ROOM IMMEDIATELY!"

With some grumbles coming from Adrian and Melvin, the five Slytherin first years made their way down to the Common Room, where the other Slytherins were assembled in front of a wary-eyed Professor Corby and a smirking James. James smirk turned into a frown in disbelief when he saw Albus walking towards him.

"Wh-wha? How the bloody hell did you get back here? We guarded all known ways back to the Common Room!" said James. Albus tried his best to make his face look convincing.

"What on Earth are you talking about James? I've been asleep this whole time," he said in a confused voice, feigning sleepiness as well.

"You're absolutely sure you weren't out of bed on the Seventh Floor Corridor tonight?" asked Corby sternly, his eyes staring menacingly into Albus'. Albus resisted the urge to gulp nervously and said,

"No, I wasn't out of bed at all tonight Professor," said Albus.

"If it helps at all, I have been watching the Common Room all night and have seen no one enter or leave the room, Corby. So unless you are suggesting that Albus here can Apparate within Hogwarts at the young age of eleven, I advise you to drop the matter entirely." came the snide voice of Professor Snape from his portrait.

"Very well, Professor Snape," said Corby, looking depressed because he couldn't get Slytherin this time.

"Aren't you going to do something about the other Potter being out of bed this late?" asked Snape. Albus couldn't help but laugh in his mind. _Thank you Professor Snape_.

"Erm, alright, five points from Gryffindor, get back to bed, James," said Corby, with each word seeming to be caught in his throat as he said it. James glared angrily at Albus.

"Fine," said James, before spinning on his heel and leaving, with Corby in tow. Everyone else was too sleepy to talk and trudged back to the dormitories. Albus stayed behind and strode over to Snape's portrait. The pale man was smiling deviously at Albus.

"Thank you, Professor," said Albus.

"Any time, Albus, any time," said Snape.

"Well, good night, sir," said Albus.

"Good night, Albus," said Snape. Albus walked up to bed and collapsed on his mattress. Tonight was a big success for him. He showed his brother not to mess around and avoided detection cunningly. Albus smiled at himself before nodding off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Obliviostratus

**Chapter 6: Obliviostratus**

Albus basked in the victory of his duel with James for at least two weeks, giving his brother annoying little waves every time James passed him in the hallway. James and his gang usually just scowled and trudged away. Albus was still upset that his brother wasn't talking to him, but he supposed that this was better than heckling and making fun of Albus.

Classes continued on at their normal pace, with McGonagall giving two more tests in just a three week period. Only Rose was able to complete the tasks McGonagall had them do, although Albus and Scorpius got close. Charms was fun and enjoyable, with Scorpius instructing Albus and Rose so that they quickly mastered the charms Professor Patil had them perform. Albus continued to be the best in his year at Potions, with Slughorn even commenting that Albus was "one of the brightest first years I've ever met," and inviting him to another dinner at the end of September.

History of Magic was, as always, exceptionally boring, and Defense against the Dark Arts was, as always, exceptionally annoying. Professor Corby continued heckling Slytherin house and taking points away for no particular reason. He seemed to be increasingly vindictive towards Albus after the duel with James, and always seemed to be wracking his brain for possible ways Albus could have gotten back to the Slytherin Common Room that night unnoticed. Herbology was one of the more fun classes, with Neville assigning little to no homework and always having fun or interesting plants to prune or examine.

Rose continued to help Albus master elemental magic. Scorpius began learning elemental magic as well, and was delighted to discover that his element was lightning. The three of them practiced many afternoons and evenings in the Room of Requirement. Through these practice sessions, Albus quickly became better than Rose at elemental magic. He was able to summon ice with his wand almost instantaneously and began attempting to manipulate it by making swishing motions with his wand. He was delighted to find ice shards, snow, and cold air zooming around the room under his control. He borrowed _A Beginner's Guide to Cryomancy_ from the Hogwarts library and read on to find that the true sign you are an ice mage, or cryomancer, is when the symbol for the element of ice, an icy blue snowflake, appears on the palm of your right hand. The next practice session, Albus attempted to summon ice without his wand. He was disappointed to see that nothing happened but noticed the icy blue snowflake appear faintly on the palm of his right hand, something that hadn't happened to Rose or Scorpius yet. Albus was delighted to find that, although he couldn't summon ice without his wand, he could manipulate it using only his hands and his inner magic power.

Rose continued developing aeromancy, but at a slower pace than Albus. She could summon wind with her wand and control it slightly, but not to the extent that Albus could with his element. It frustrated her to no end that Albus was better than her at something, and Albus often joked around about it.

"It's not funny! I am _not_ jealous!" said Rose, whose voice was usually drowned out by the laughter of Albus and Scorpius.

Scorpius had a lot of power in his element, and struggled control it. Many a practice session did arc lightning streak across the room and damage something or fry Albus and Rose.

"Don't be discouraged, Scorpius, I've read _A Beginner's Guide to Electromancy_ and found that lightning is the most difficult element to manipulate. It is extremely volatile and too fast for many to process. The best way to handle it is to keep trying to improve your reaction speed," said Rose one day.

"Yeah, I guess, but, well, I don't think anyone can react _that_ fast," said Scorpius," I mean, watch. _Fulmine!_" A streak of lightning flashed in half a millisecond and shattered a piece of the opposite wall.

"You'll get it mate, don't worry," said Albus. Scorpius smiled before trying once more but to no avail.

"Ah, well, better luck next time. Let's go, it's getting late, and we need to see Hagrid." said Scorpius.

With the advent of autumn, the trees around Hogwarts became yellow, orange, and gold. The air became cool, clean, and crisp and the fallen leaves crunched beneath your feet as you walked the grounds. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius had continued to visit Hagrid and enjoyed listening to stories of Hogwarts in their parents' years, laughing and carrying on the whole time. This week was the story of when Mad-Eye Moody turned Scorpius' dad into a ferret. Scorpius broke into peals of laughter trying to imagine his prim and proper dad as a ferret.

It after this particular visit, occurring on a Thursday in late October, that Albus noticed something strange. While walking back to the castle, he saw a figure leaning against a tree near the castle with _The Daily Prophet _in his hands. He had a large, black hood that obscured the entirety of his face. The cover story, as Albus noticed, still was about Anton Gaunt. Scorpius, however, ignored the presence of this man, and commented on the newspaper article instead.

"So, they still haven't caught Gaunt?" asked Scorpius. The hooded man shifted slightly so that you could see his mouth was curved into a slight smile.

"Well, it isn't like I make it easy for them," said the man. Albus froze. What concerned him was that this man had used the word _I _when referring to Gaunt. As if on cue, the wind blew back the man's hood, so that his entire face was visible. Albus' eyes widened in shock as he noticed the man's face was identical to the picture on the front cover of _The Prophet_. His dark-brown hair blew around in the wind, as did his cloak, and as his piercing brown-eyed gaze locked on to Albus, Albus felt a throbbing pain in his head. He saw memories of his father discussing the auror department rush through his head. Albus thought it odd that those memories were resurfacing now. He heard Scorpius yell,

"_Stupefy!"_ and saw Gaunt divert his gaze from Albus. The pain and the odd memories promptly stopped as Gaunt smacked the curse away with his bare hand, not even bothering to draw his wand.

"Quite a feisty little one, aren't you? Your father certainly wouldn't have risked his life to protect his friends…," said Gaunt.

"What did you say about my father!" yelled Scorpius indignantly.

"Ah, must we argue? The past is over with, and everyone has moved on, well, at least everyone except the auror department," said Gaunt in a cool, calm voice. It seemed Gaunt was intentionally trying to infuriate them.

"What's that supposed to mean!" shouted Rose.

"Nothing, just a reference to the fact that the auror department refuses to let me live my own life, relegating me to this miserable life of constantly dodging authorities." said Gaunt.

"Maybe you shouldn't have joined with Voldemort if you wanted to live a normal life!" said Albus. At the mention of Voldemort's name, Guant flinched in fear. _That's odd,_ thought Albus, _how can he be afraid of his old master?_ Gaunt shook it off.

"Details, details…anyway, it was lovely to have had this little chat with you, but I must be going—"

"You're not going anywhere!" said Albus, acting a little braver than he felt.

"And what, pray tell, can you do to stop me?" asked Gaunt dubiously. Albus held up his right hand and channeled as much power as he could. He saw the crystalline blue snowflake insignia emerge on his right hand, but it flickered and promptly vanished.

"I'm very surprised you were able to manage that for a first year, but I believe you need a little more practice with your cryomancy. You see, elemental magic should look something like this…," said Gaunt. He promptly raised his right hand and Albus saw the distinct outline of a teal-blue wave emerge. He felt the ground shake violently, and looked behind Gaunt to see the water of the lake rising up and making a beeline straight towards them. The water slammed into Albus with the force of a charging centaur and Albus was blown back a few feet. He looked beside him to see Rose and Scorpius dripping wet but otherwise unharmed. Albus stood up and pointed his wand at Gaunt.

"I'm very impressed you were able to stand up so quickly. Then again, I didn't put much force into that…," taunted Gaunt.

"You're going to be arrested by the aurors, and that's that!" said Albus.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't have time for them right now. Well, I must be going, see you again sometime," said Gaunt. He also added, "Ciao!" before drawing his wand and pointing it at the ground. He muttered, "_Obliviostratus!_" and a white ball of fog erupted from his wand. As it struck the ground, it exploded and covered the entire area in a thick blanket of fog. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius huddled together to keep from getting lost. Rose tried using aeromancy to dissipate the fog, but to no avail. They wandered through the fog for what seemed like ages before they heard someone yell, "_Finite incantantem!"_ The fog vanished and they were standing there, with no one around them except for a concerned-looking Neville.

"Are you three all right?" he asked. The three of them nodded, though shivering as they were still dripping wet. Neville muttered an incantation and Albus, Rose, and Scorpius were now completely dry.

"Thanks, Neville," said Rose.

"No problem at all, now why don't you come to my office and explain to me what happened? All I felt was a violent tremor coming from the lake, and saw a blanket of dense fog, Imperma-Fog, as a matter of fact." he said.

"What's Imperma-Fog?" asked Albus.

"It's fog that cannot be removed by normal means. I'm a moron for not realizing that," said Rose.

"Well, it isn't your fault, you three are safe now, come on," said Neville, motioning for them to follow him. Neville led the trio to the end of a hallway on the second floor, and opened a door labeled _Neville Longbottom, Professor of Herbology and Head of Gryffindor House_. He ushered them inside and Albus was greeted by a rather large _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ that sat to the left of the doorway in an ornate gold flower pot. Scarlet drapes with gold trimmings outlined large windows which overlooked the greenhouses on the floor below. Neville sat behind his desk, which had a curious assortment of seed packets mixed with important-looking papers and a sleeping Trevor. He motioned with his wand and three chairs appeared behind Albus, Rose, and Scorpius.

"Please, sit down," said Neville. The three of them promptly did so. "Now, tell me what happened."

"Well, we were walking back from Hagrid's hut, when we noticed a hooded man reading _The Daily Prophet_," said Albus, "Scorpius noticed that the cover story was on Anton Gaunt, and said something about it. The hooded man revealed himself as Anton Gaunt, and stared at me funny. I felt a pain in my head, and Scorpius tried to stun him. He blocked the curse without even drawing his wand. I attempted to curse him but he made the water rise out of the lake and slam into us. I scrambled back to my feet and told him the aurors will get him. So he smirked and cast that fog charm before disappearing."

Neville looked troubled. He walked over to the fireplace and used the floo powder to contact someone. In a flash of emerald green flames, a sooty and coughing Harry Potter emerged.

"Hey, Dad!" said Albus, running over to give his father a hug. Harry greeted his son, making sure he was ok, before casting a wary eye at Scorpius sitting next to Rose. Albus looked at his father as if to say _oopsie?_ Harry shrugged and said,

"I trust your judgment, Albus. But you better not let Uncle Ron know. Now tell me, what happened during your encounter with Gaunt?"

Albus began telling the story over again. His father stopped him when Albus mentioned the pain in his head when Gaunt's eyes locked on to him.

"Did you feel a rush of strange memories?" his father asked.

"Well, actually, yes, I did. I saw all of these weird memories of you talking about the Auror Department." said Albus. Harry frowned.

"I hate to tell you Albus, but Gaunt just sifted through your mind to try and find information on me." said Harry.

"What? How!" asked Albus incredulously.

"It's a branch of magic called Legilimency. It focuses on attacking to mind to search for information without the victim's approval." said Harry.

"But isn't there any way to stop it?" asked Albus, not wanting his mind to be attacked again.

"Yes, there is a branch of magic that protects the mind and counters Legilimency called Occlumency. Occlumency, however, is an extremely advanced skill, something virtually impossible for a first year to learn, as is Legilimency." said Harry," Continue with your story." Albus made a mental note of _Occlumency_ and _Legilimency_ before continuing.

"Well, then Scorpius tried to stun him, but Gaunt just deflected the curse with his bare hand, not even bothering to draw his wand."

"That doesn't surprise me, Gaunt is notorious for his prestigious magical skill. Very few people in the world have the ability to use magic wordlessly and wandlessly, and Gaunt is one of them." said Harry.

"Can you do that, Dad?" asked Albus. Harry smiled.

"Yes, I can, but that's beside the point. Please continue with the story." said Harry.

"Well, you've heard of elemental magic, right?" asked Albus.

"Yes, I have." said Harry, raising his right hand. A yellow lightning-bolt symbol appeared. "To think Aunt Hermione would let a new branch of magic develop without forcing us to learn it." Scorpius' eyes widened in amazement and he spoke for the first time since Albus' dad showed up.

"Mr. Potter, if you don't mind me asking, how can you control electricity? It moves really fast…"

"It's simple really; you must begin exerting power to control it as soon as you summon it. It takes a lot of practice. Why do you ask?" said Harry. Scorpius blushed before replying.

"No reason, just read it in a book somewhere." squeaked Scorpius. Harry raised his eyebrow at the three of them but said nothing. He turned back to Albus and motioned for him to continue.

"Well, Gaunt's element is water, just so you know…"

"Interesting…continue," said Harry.

"Rather than summoning water, however, he just manipulated the water in the Lake and sent it charging towards us. It slammed into us and we were all knocked to the ground."

"Are you three sure you're all right?" asked Harry with a look of concern.

"We're fine, it just stung a little bit. Gaunt said he didn't really apply much force into it," said Albus. "After that, I told him that the aurors will get him, but he said he didn't have time for it today, and cast that fog charm before disappearing."

Harry's brow furrowed in concern. He seemed to sit there thinking a long time before speaking again.

"As you know, my top priority as Head Auror is the safety of the people. I am particularly concerned for the students at Hogwarts, especially since Gaunt's first appearance since the summer occurred on the grounds of the school. I think I shall post aurors to guard the school, with Kingsley's permission of course." Harry's statement was mostly directed at Neville, who nodded in agreement.

"I'll go with you to let him know now, if you wish." said Neville.

"Go on ahead, I'll be right there, I need to speak with my son for a minute." Neville nodded before exiting the room. Harry turned to Albus with a slight smile on his face.

"Well, I've officially failed as a parent…" he said.

"What? What would make you say that!" asked Albus. Harry chuckled.

"My goal as a father was to protect my children from the dangers of the world, and make sure they stay out of trouble unlike myself. I wanted to make sure my children didn't develop the famous Potter _I-need-to-save-the-day_ complex. And unfortunately, the first person at Hogwarts to encounter Gaunt is you." His dad smiled. Albus began laughing slightly.

"But, jokes aside, I need you and James to be careful. Gaunt obviously knew you would be walking by that part of the grounds, probably because he saw you going to Hagrid's Hut. He has begun following you for some reason, and it worries me what that reason is." said Harry.

"I'll be careful, Dad, don't worry. What do you think he's following me for?" asked Albus.

"He may be trying to capture you to get to me. And, once again, I'm placing those I love in danger." said Harry somberly.

"But Dad, don't you think it's odd Gaunt never went after James?" said Albus.

"Now that you mention it, that does seem odd. Perhaps Gaunt feels he has somewhat of a greater connection with you because you're in Slytherin." Albus frowned.

"Just great, another person treating me differently because I'm in Slytherin." Harry lifted his son's chin up.

"Just because you're in a different house doesn't make you a different person, no matter what anyone says. You should strive to do your best in everything you do, so you can make your house proud. The rest of the family will come around sooner or later, your mother has already gotten Grandma and Grandpa Weasley and Aunt Hermione on your side." said Harry. Albus smiled. His dad always knew how to cheer him up.

"If it means that much to you, Al, I can stop being your friend so your family will treat you fairly again." said Scorpius. Albus shook his head violently.

"They'll just have to learn to deal with it." Harry extended his hand and shook Scorpius', much to the latter's surprise.

"One more thing. Scorpius, I trust you're a nice lad since my son and my niece have befriended you. I hope that the problems I had with your father won't influence your outlook on me. But for your sake, if you would like to maintain coherence and your current limbs, I wouldn't be within fifty feet of Rose when my brother-in-law Ron is around." All four of them laughed. "And Rose, I won't say a word to your father about it until you're ready to tell him." Rose nodded in thanks before Harry gave Albus a hug and left the room.

"Wow, you're dad is cool!" said Scorpius. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Thanks," said Albus, chuckling. After dinner, the three of them were walking through the hallways, all of them holding their heads high because of what Harry had said. Rose parted with them to go to her common room, and Scorpius and Albus, exhausted by today's ordeal and noticing that it was already pretty late, went back to their dormitories and promptly fell asleep.

That night, Albus had a dream about something he hadn't given much thought about before. He was down on the Quidditch Pitch, dressed in emerald green quidditch robes, a broom slung over his shoulder, and he had a golden snitch clasped in his right hand. He noticed his brother dressed in scarlet red quidditch robes scowling at him as a loud voice proclaimed,

"Albus Potter catches the Snitch! Slytherin has defeated Gryffindor to win the Quidditch Cup!"

Albus woke up the next day with one thought in mind. He had never thought to try out for the Quidditch team, since he knew he could never be better than his brother. The next Quidditch match was Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin next month. There was no way any Quidditch captain would deny a Potter a place on the team. He needed to find Coluber. And fast.


	7. Chapter 7: No Troll This Time

**Chapter 7: No Troll This Time**

Albus strode into the Great Hall on Halloween day a little bit shaken from the previous day's events, but with a firm conviction to get on his house's Quidditch Team.

"But are you sure he'll let you on the team mate?" asked Scorpius.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try, does it?" said Albus. Scorpius beamed at him.

"Perhaps I'll ask too. Father did just buy me a state-of-the-art broom and I'm rather decent at Keeper." replied Scorpius. Albus and Scorpius strode over to Coluber, who was, at the moment, preoccupied in an argument with a fifth-year Slytherin guy and a fifth-year Slytherin girl.

"I don't understand, you two love Quidditch! How can you just abandon your house like this!" demanded an irate Coluber.

"Well, Janice and I have more important priorities than some stupid game. This is O.W.L. year, and we're planning on passing our exams," said the boy. The girl who must've been Janice nodded in agreement.

"But what am I supposed to do! We have less than a month until our first match, and now I'm short one Seeker and one Keeper!" shouted Coluber.

"I'm sure you'll find someone. Come on, Mitch, let's go," said Janice. The two of them left, leaving Coluber standing there dazed and confused.

"Come on, Al, allow me to show you a little Slytherin opportunism," said Scorpius, smiling. Albus smirked at his friend before following Scorpius as he approached Coluber.

"Hey, Col, I just heard that. So Slytherin's short a Keeper and a Seeker now?" asked Scorpius, keeping his motive hidden for the time being.

"Yeah, and, I dunno what to do, I mean, I want to win the Quidditch Cup for Slytherin, since we haven't done it in seven years." replied Colbuer dejectedly.

"Well, we'd be happy to help if you need fill-ins. Albus here is a decent Quidditch player and I'm rather good at Keeper." said Scorpius. Coluber's eyes suddenly lit up.

"You mean it! You'll do it for us!" asked Coluber in jubilation.

"Of course, if you'd like us on the team," stated Albus.

"Great! Come to the Quidditch Pitch after classes today, and let's see what you've got!" said Coluber, the familiar jovial tone back in his voice. Coluber practically skipped out of the Great Hall, and Albus noticed Ariana rolling her eyes at him from behind the cover of _The Daily Prophet_.

"You do realize you've created a monster, don't you?" chuckled Ariana.

' "I suppose we have," said Scorpius, beaming at her. Albus and Scorpius sat down at the Slytherin table to eat breakfast. Albus ate his eggs and toast gleefully. _I've done it_, he thought, _I'm on my house's Quidditch team!_

"I guess we couldn't skip D.A.D.A. to practice flying, now, could we?" chuckled Scorpius. Albus smirked at him, determined that no matter what Corby dished out today it wouldn't affect him. After breakfast they trudged off to D.A.D.A. with the Gryffindors as Rose went off to Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. Professor Corby was as annoyingly boastful and presumptuous as ever, if not more since the time he failed to catch Albus out of bed.

"Ok, class, today we'll be practicing a duel! Does anyone know the proper procedure for a duel?" he asked in a super-annoying cheery tone, staring at the Gryffindors expectantly. Albus raised his hand.

"Though you may have been raised by the great Harry Potter, you're a Slytherin. You can't possibly know the prim and proper procedure to start a duel," stated Corby, dismissing Albus completely. The Gryffindors chuckled and Albus rolled his eyes. Daniel Long said some mangled and completely false description of a Wizard's Duel but Corby still gave Gryffindor five points.

"Ok, now who wants to be part of a practice duel? We'll be aiming to disarm your opponent using the disarming spell we practiced, _Expelliarmus_, as well as other hexes and jinxes you may know," Corby announced, looking at the Gryffindors expectantly once more, as if the Slytherins were incapable of dueling, despite the fact that they mastered the spells Corby had them learn better than the Gryffindors. Daniel Long raised his hand. "Splendid! Mr. Long, please come up here! Choose your opponent." Daniel Long surveyed the room carefully before his eyes narrowed.

"Potty," he said. Albus groaned. He knew all too well how this would end. Albus would use a perfectly legitimate hex and Corby would denounce it as "Slytherin trickery," take ten points from Slytherin and give Albus a detention. Albus reluctantly strode up to the front of the room, and did a halfhearted bow which Daniel Long didn't even bother to reciprocate. The two of them strode six paces apart from each other before turning around, wands drawn.

"Remember, when you give up, say 'I Surrender', and the duel is officially over. Now, when I say three, you may begin. 1, 2—"

But Daniel couldn't wait.

"_Rictusempra!_" he cried, and an orange curse shot out of his wand towards Albus. Albus, anticipating the preemptive strike, decided to try nonverbal magic. Concentrating all of his might on wand movement and the incantation, he thought _Protego!_

To his surprise, a weak shield erupted from his wand, canceling Daniel's curse. In any normal D.A.D.A. classroom, Albus would have won at least five points. Instead, he was reprimanded by Corby.

"Did I instruct you to use nonverbal magic? NO!" said Corby. Albus noticed Scorpius and the Slytherins clapping and cheering him on. He averted his attention too much however, and he heard Daniel yell,

"_Expelliarmus!_" Albus couldn't block in time, and he was struck with the red curse, causing him to fall to the floor and his wand to fly to the opposite side of the room.

"Very well! Five points to Gryffindor! Mr. Potter, do you surrender?" asked Corby, a look of triumphant pleasure on his face. Albus suddenly became very irritated and raised up his right hand to brush some dust out of his face. He noticed the snowflake glowing brightly on his palm and smirked. Though he could do nothing else, he would at least have some fun, even if it landed him in detention.

"Nope, I don't surrender." said Albus, and the rest of the class looked at him in surprise. Albus stood up.

"What on earth can you possibly do without a wand?" asked Corby. Albus raised his right hand at Daniel Long, so that the snowflake pattern was visible to everyone else. Daniel stared dubiously at Albus, as if asking _What are you going to do?_ Albus smirked.

"_Glacius!_" he cried, and a blast of snow, ice, and cold air erupted out of his outstretched hand. The blast sent Daniel crashing to the ground as icicles began to form on his nose, ears, and chin. Daniel was so surprised his wand flew out of his hand. Daniel, scared from the ordeal, squeaked, "I surrender!" before scuttling back to his seat. The Slytherins cheered in triumph and Albus had a smug look of satisfaction plastered on his face. He looked over at Corby and smirked. Corby's face turned a funny shade of blue and his eyes narrowed. Albus recovered his wand before taking his seat, all the while Corby was still standing there, awestruck. Scorpius, Xavier, Melvin, and Adrian all clapped him on the back and the Slytherin girls told him what a job well done. Unfortunately, Corby recovered momentarily.

"Fifteen points from Slytherin, Mr. Potter. And a detention, Friday, my office." he said, not even meeting Albus' eyes but instead deciding to stare at the wall. At that time, the bell rang and they all gathered their things and headed to Herbology.

"That was brilliant, mate, absolutely stunning," said Scorpius.

"Thanks, Scorp," replied Albus.

"Did you see the look on Corby's face? It was priceless!" chuckled Xavier.

"What about Long? His face was hilarious. He scuttled away like a mouse," laughed Adrian. Adrian and Xavier went on ahead of Albus and Scorpius. A brunette-haired, fair skinned first year Slytherin came up to Albus with her golden blonde-haired friend.

"Hi, my name's Luana Ross, and this is my friend Genevieve Wilkins. We just wanted to tell you what a great job you did in the duel today." she said. Genevieve nodded behind her in agreement. Albus suddenly blushed and a chill shot down his spine.

"Oh…erm…thanks," he stammered. "See you around," he added.

"Yup!" said Luana. Luana and Genevieve and giggled before skipping away. Scorpius gave his friend a goofy grin.

"What?" demanded Albus.

"Nothing," replied Scorpius, stifling a laugh. The two of them walked into Herbology and sat down towards the front. Albus noticed Luana sitting in the back, talking to Genevieve. She giggled and gave him a wave. Albus smiled hesitantly before waving back. Scorpius practically shoved his fist in his mouth to keep himself from laughing.

"What! Stop doing that!" cried Albus, blushing slightly.

"Nothing," Scorpius chortled. Professor Longbottom interrupted them, however, before Albus could respond.

"Attention class! I have an important announcement to make before we start Herbology! The notorious Death Eater Anton Gaunt was spotted on Hogwarts grounds yesterday, and I urge all of you to walk the grounds with utmost caution. If you see anything suspicious at all, tell one of the professors or your headmaster immediately. Aurors will be coming to guard the area, so you can rest assured that you are safe. That is all for now."

The rest of the class went on without incident, with the class examining sapling Devil's Snare plants. Scorpius' plant entangled both of his hands and legs together as he was trying to prune it, causing Albus to break out into bouts of hysterical laughter. The two of them headed back to the Great Hall for lunch and Rose came over to them.

"There you two are! I haven't seen you all day. I've been hearing rumors of a duel in D.A.D.A. class," inquired Rose. Scorpius and Albus traded grins.

"Oh, it was nothing, Al here just completely demolished Daniel Long in a duel using nonverbal magic followed by wandless elemental magic," said Scorpius casually.

"What! Nonverbal magic AND wandless elemental magic!" asked Rose in disbelief.

"Yup," said Albus, mustering up his magical energy and showing her his palm, which had the snowflake pattern faintly glowing across it.

"That's amazing, Al, your parents would be proud." said Rose. Albus beamed at her.

"Well, the good thing is we have Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions this afternoon, so we'll all be in the same classes," said Scorpius.

"Cool, well I need to get some lunch, so I'll see you guys later," said Rose. Albus turned back to his plate and noticed an envelope sitting there.

"Hey, did anyone see an owl drop this letter?" he asked. Everyone around him shook their heads.

"I did see some weird flying snake, but I thought I must have imagined it." said Melvin. Intrigued, Albus noticed glowing blue fang-marks and writing on the envelope.

Albus Severus Potter

Slytherin Table

The Great Hall

Hogwarts

His curiosity now officially piqued, Albus tore open the envelope. Inside was a single letter written on faded parchment.

Dear Albus,

I know you may be frightened, but please don't be. I want to personally apologize for what happened yesterday. I didn't mean to slam you with so much force. My elemental magic is too powerful for my own good. I know you won't believe me, but I meant absolutely no harm. I was simply testing you.

I hope you don't mind, but I need to ask a favor of you. I know that you'll probably find this next tidbit of information to be utterly unbelievable, but I urge you to see the possibility. I am just another victim of You-Know-Who, and, well, to be truthful, he murdered my parents. I really need you to believe me.

I look forward to speaking with you again shortly. I end this correspondence with a single, cryptic message on the next piece of paper, since I know you will try to ascertain my current whereabouts.

Regards,

Anton Morfin Salazar Gaunt

Albus froze when he read the signature, and quickly showed the letter to Scorpius.

"Seems he's taken to tracking you, mate," he said.

"I'm kind of scared now. What could he want from me?" asked Albus nervously.

"Well the letter says he wants you to believe him, but I think it may be a ruse," said Scorpius.

"Of course it's a ruse, why would he act all nice when he just tried to kill us yesterday?" asked Albus.

"Perhaps he's trying to get you to believe him so you can convince your dad he's innocent?" suggested Scorpius. Realization suddenly struck Albus.

"Of course that's why! You're a genius Scorp!" Albus exclaimed.

"Where's the other piece of paper he's talking about?" asked Scorpius. Albus shrugged and reached into the envelope. Surprised, he pulled out a tiny scrap of paper.

"Strange, that wasn't there before," said Albus, bewildered. On the wrinkled scrap of paper were the following words, written in Gaunt's neat handwriting:

Crinkled though this paper may be,

Here where I am, all eyes are on me.

"Weird. What's that supposed to mean?" asked Albus, more confused than ever.

"I haven't the slightest idea. But he's hinting at his location. It's almost as if he wants you to find him." said Scorpius. Albus stared at the piece of paper for a while, contemplating what on earth it could mean. He stashed the paper into his pocket along with his Slytherin coin and slipped the letter into his bag.

"I'll ask Rose about it later." Scorpius nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Melvin, didn't you say you saw a weird flying snake?" asked Scorpius. Melvin shrugged.

"It was kind of weird. It was like a bluish feathered serpent with a white underbelly. It had big blue wings, glowing white eyes, and a letter clutched in it's mouth. It was weird because I could see straight through it. I turned away for one second to tell Xavier, and it was gone." he replied. Albus raised his eyebrows, intrigued by Melvin's description of the carrier of Albus' letter.

"Why wouldn't he use owls? Isn't it less noticeable?" asked Albus.

"Perhaps, although you have to remember the general public believes him to be an heir of Slytherin. Using a snake seems more appropriate in that case. We'll ask Rose about whatever that snake was too." Scorpius replied. When they got to charms class they showed Rose the letter and asked her their questions. Professor Patil didn't notice because they discreetly prevented her from hearing them using "_Muffliato_," a spell Albus learned from Professor Snape's potions book.

"So you think Gaunt's after you for some reason?" asked Rose.

"Yeah, and I think he wants me to find him, considering he left the clue about where he is. What place is he talking about?" replied Albus. Albus and Scorpius looked at Rose expectantly.

"You expect me to come up with an answer now? I need to do some research in the—"

"Library," Albus and Scorpius finished Rose's sentence for her, chuckling. Rose scoffed at them and rolled her eyes.

"Well, you do want to know, don't you?" she asked, slightly irritated. She successfully performed the silencing charm and was delighted to find her frog opening its mouth but not uttering a sound.

"Yeah, and could you also research feathered flying snakes? Because Albus' letter was delivered to him using one."

"Sure, anything else, your highness?" asked Rose. Scorpius and Albus chuckled.

"Nope, that is all," Albus chuckled. They left charms class animatedly talking about Quidditch, since Albus decided to break the news to her.

"You two made the Quidditch team? Awesome!" Rose exclaimed. Albus waved to his cousin Fred in the hallway, but, like usual, he was ignored.

"Don't worry Al! I told you before, they'll come around. So what positions are you two playing?" inquired Rose.

"I'm playing Seeker, and Scorpius is playing Keeper," replied Albus proudly.

"Heh, a Slytherin prat like you playing Seeker? Get real!" said a voice from behind him. Albus turned behind him to see James standing there imposingly, his arms crossed.

"Heh, heh. Well good luck with Quidditch, you'll need it," said James, glaring at Albus before trotting off.

Albus, Rose, and Scorpius walked into the Transfiguration classroom to find Professor McGonagall handing out test papers. Their last test had been on the theoretical approach of transfiguring an object into something else. Albus had studied hard but wasn't sure of his result. He sat down as Professor McGonagall came over to their table with her papers.

"Miss Weasley, excellent. I congratulate you on a job well done." said McGonagall, handing Rose a paper with a large _O_ written at the top. Rose beamed at them and had a smug look of satisfaction on her face. Scorpius rolled his eyes. McGonagall turned to Albus next.

"Mr. Potter, a valiant effort, very few mistakes, although you could use a little work with your theory." she said, handing him a paper with an _EE_ written at the top.

"Mr. Malfoy, I must say you did well, but you stand for improvement," said McGonagall, handing Scorpius a paper with an _A_ written at the top. McGonagall then set them with the task to turn a block of wood into a block of ice.

"You two could stand to improve a bit in Transfiguration, you know," Rose whispered. Albus and Scorpius glared at her.

"We passed, relax," Scorpius replied.

"Well, you two are only doing the bare minimum to get by. I think you two should apply yourselves more." She said, trying to transform her block of wood. It had turned slightly bluish in color but still looked like wood. Albus smirked, realizing he had an easy way out of this assignment. He pointed his wand at the block of wood with his left hand and raised his right hand, concentrating his elemental magic. Almost instantaneously, the block of wood turned into a block of ice.

"Very good, Mr. Potter! Ten points to Slytherin!" said McGonagall. Albus gave a smug look of satisfaction directed towards Rose, who scowled.

"That's not fair, you're element's ice!" she shouted.

"Fine, well when we have to vanish things, you'll have the advantage, since you'll be turning it into air," he replied, grinning. Rose rolled her eyes and Scorpius chuckled.

"Alright class! For homework tonight I would like two parchment lengths detailing the effects of the transfiguration of inanimate objects! I would like it on my desk by Monday, so you have the entire weekend to write it! That is all, class dismissed!" McGonagall announced. Albus and Scorpius groaned and gathered up their books.

"Why do we have to write two parchment lengths? We might have a lot of Quidditch practice this weekend!" Scorpius complained.

"Well, maybe you two should put a little effort into it and it won't take so long," said Rose in a _matter-of-fact_ tone.

"Well, can you do it for us?" Albus asked.

"Absolutely not! How are you supposed to learn it if I just do it for you?" she cried in revulsion. Scorpius and Albus traded grins.

"Fine, can you at least help us with it?" Scorpius asked.

"Alright, but don't expect me to write it for you," Rose replied.

The trio walked into Potions class as Slughorn was finishing writing the instructions for today's potion. Albus glanced at it; it looked relatively easy. It was Elixir of Euphoria, a potion Albus knew induced happiness. Slughorn cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Alright class! Today we will be making Elixir of Euphoria, a potion which induces happiness and jubilation. Do not confuse it with Elixir to Induce Euphoria, a much more complicated and stronger happiness potion. Just smelling the vapors of either potion is said to be very uplifting. Instructions are written on the board, and any ingredients you do not have can be found in the cupboards. Get started! You have the entire class period to complete the assignment."

Scorpius gathered enough ingredients for all three of them, and they got to work. Albus noticed the instructions called to cut Eupophoric Beans, which were from a family of beans notorious for being difficult to cut. Instead, Albus decided to crush the beans with his blade, releasing the juice much better. He noticed Rose and Scorpius, as well as the rest of the class struggling to cut the beans as they bounced away when poked with the knife.

"Guys, crush it with the blade, don't cut it," he said.

"But the instructions—"

"Are wrong, Rose. Not everything you read in a book is right," Albus interrupted. Rose glared at him like he'd done her some personal offense. She did try crushing it, however, and soon saw Albus' point. Albus added a few more ingredients and began stirring clockwise, as the instructions heeded. He noticed that the way he stirred caused the ingredients to remain separated however, and decided to add in a few counterclockwise stirs now and then. To his glee, the potion became perfectly mixed and was now a golden yellow. The white vapor that trailed off the potion made Albus feel a little lightheaded and joyful. Slughorn began coming around giving grades. Most other people gave up on cutting the Eupophorous Beans and just threw them in the cauldron whole, causing the juice to remain inside the bean and ruining the potion. Slughorn gave a couple _A_s,many _P_s, and even one _D_ before coming to Albus' table.

"Ah, very nice, Mr. Malfoy, but I may suggest stirring the ingredients a little more thoroughly," he said, issuing an _EE_. He came to Rose's cauldron. Rose, by this point, was stirring frantically to get her ingredients to mix, but to no avail.

"Same as what I told Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley, a very good effort, but mixing the ingredients a little more thoroughly would produce more desirable results," he said, marking down another _EE_. Rose pouted since she didn't get an _O_. Scorpius chuckled, and Rose quickly turned and glared at him. Meanwhile, Slughorn came to Albus' cauldron.

"My dear boy! This is wonderful! The Eupophorous Bean's juices have been released ever so perfectly, and the ingredients are mixed together so swimmingly that the vapors are causing me to feel a little joyful! A job well done! I'd expect nothing less of you!" cried Slughorn in jubilation. He happily marked down an _O_ and trotted happily to the front of the class. Rose glanced inside Albus' cauldron, to try and see where she'd gone wrong. Albus wondered if his Elixir of Euphoria was strong enough to make Slughorn a little too giddy. Slughorn dismissed the class, assigning them to create a Calming Draught for Monday's class.

Rose inquired every detail of Albus' potion-making process on the way to dinner, leaving Albus quite flabbergasted by the time they reached the Great Hall. He was actually glad for once to part with Rose and sat down at the Slytherin table with Scorpius. The Great Hall had been expertly decorated for Halloween, with floating Jack-O-Lanterns and real bats flying around near the ceiling. Candy corn and all sorts of candy in addition to regular foods were laid out on the table, and Albus eagerly dug in.

"Hey, Al, be careful not to fill up too much on sugar, I need to see you fly well today," Coluber yelled from the other end of the table. Albus shrugged and smiled at him. The two of them finished dinner and grabbed their brooms from their trunks.

"Wow, you have a Stratus 4000! Awesome!" said Albus, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Scorpius' expertly crafted broom.

"Yes, father bought it for me for my birthday this year." said Scorpius. Albus pulled out his father's trusty Firebolt.

"Wow! A Firebolt! That's awesome! There are only a limited amount in the world, since they don't make that line of brooms any more!" said Scorpius, holding the Firebolt so gingerly as if it would shatter.

"James wanted a Stratus 4000, so Dad gave me his Firebolt because he thought I'd 'appreciate its sentimental value more than James would'," Albus explained. The two of them headed out to the Quidditch pitch. The sun lit up the stadium in a spectacular golden-red glow, and Albus saw Coluber waiting in the middle, dressed in emerald green Quidditch robes. Other Slytherin Quidditch players were clustered around him.

"Hey Al, Scorpius! I'd like you to meet the rest of the team!" he called, ushering them over.

"This is Tabitha Burns, one of our chasers. She can aim a Quaffle to strike a target almost thirty meters away," Coluber said. Tabitha gave a smile and a wave. She was a fourth-year Slytherin with wavy black hair and amethyst-purple eyes.

"As you know, I'm a Chaser as well, and the other chaser on our team is Janine Wilkins," he said, pointing at a blonde-haired Fifth-year with blue eyes. She smiled at them warmly.

"Our two beaters have expert aim, and they are Brutus Mentis and Marcus Callun." he said, pointing at two strong, muscular fifth-years, one sandy-haired and the other brown-haired.

"Nice to meet you two," said Brutus Mentis.

"Great to have you on the team," said Marcus Callun. They both looked intimidating but overall not unfriendly.

"Alright you two! Mount your brooms! We're going to see what you can do! Tabitha and Janine will be launching Quaffles at you Scorpius, and you'll try to defend them. Meanwhile, Brutus and Marcus will being trying to pelt Albus with Bludgers as he tries to get the Snitch. Albus gulped and mouthed _good luck_ Scorpius before mounting his broom and soaring high in the sky. He saw Coluber release the bludgers and the Snitch, and Albus watched as the glittering golden ball soared away. Scorpius took his post at the three rings opposite Albus, and Tabitha and Janine took a Quaffle and mounted their brooms. Brutus and Marcus took up their beater bats and kicked off after Albus.

"Ready…Go!" Coluber shouted from the ground. Realizing he had little time to watch, Albus took off in search of the snitch. Albus did, however, watch as Tabitha and Janine did complicated passing maneuvers to confuse Scorpius. Tabitha ended up launching the Quaffle at the leftmost ring, and Scorpius soared over with blinding speed to deflect it with the butt of his broom.

"Well done!" Coluber cried from the ground. Albus resumed his attention to searching for the Snitch. He spotted the golden ball towards the main grandstands and took off at breakneck speed. He spotted a Bludger expertly aimed at him and quickly did a Sloth-Grip Roll, in which he turned upside-down on his broom so the Bludger would soar past him. He quickly spun back right-side-up and continued making a beeline for the Snitch. Another Bludger soared at him and he made a small dip in his flight so the Bludger would soar over his head. He saw the glittering golden ball feet from him and reached out for it. At that moment, another bludger soared directly at him, right underneath the Snitch. In a moment of quick-thinking, Albus leapt off his broom, dodged the Bludger, snatched the Snitch, and somehow landed back on his broom again. He heard cheers and shouts coming from the rest of the Slytherin team as he landed. Coluber came over to him and clapped him on the back.

"Great job, glad to have you on the team," he said gleefully. Albus ascertained that Scorpius had ten spectacular saves, and only let two goals in. Coluber presented them with their emerald green Quidditch robes, which they happily accepted. The two of them, tired but in high spirits, trudged back to the common room.

"Great job today, mate," said Albus.

"Same to you mate," said Scorpius. The two of them traded grins before they changed into their pajamas. Scorpius quickly fell asleep, but Albus decided to write his family a letter.

Dear Mom, Dad, Lily, and Kreacher,

How are you guys doing? Hogwarts is just great! I'm so happy here! I just wanted to let you all know that I made Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch Team! Our first match is next month, against Hufflepuff. I'm so excited!

Also Dad, Anton Gaunt sent me a letter trying to convince me to believe that he's innocent of his crimes. I just thought I'd let you know.

And Lily, I have some Halloween Candy from Hogwarts for you, if Khione didn't eat it before she got there.

Kreacher, I hope you're well and I hope Lily doesn't have you too busy with tea parties.

Love you all,

Albus

Scanning over the letter, he sealed it and marched off to the Owlery to give the letter to his owl Khione. He watched her soar into the light of the moon before going back to his Dormitory and falling soundly asleep.


	8. Chapter 8: Potter is Our King

**Chapter 8: Potter is Our King**

The crisp, cool autumn air quickly turned to a brisk chill as November and the beginnings of winter set upon Hogwarts Castle. All of the trees had lost their leaves by the middle of the month. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius continued enjoying their classes, while Albus still struggled with the rest of the family ignoring him. He wondered if they would ever be on speaking terms with them again.

_I mean, it's like I've done them some personal offense just because I'm in Slytherin_. Like usual, he had to cling on to his father's word's of encouragement. He often glanced at the last letter he received from his parents, in response to the letter he wrote on Halloween:

Dear Albus,

That's awesome news! Your mother, Lily, and I are all so proud of you! Good luck in your match, and remember: no matter what the result, we still love you. I think James is getting a little to confident with the Gryffindor team, so you may be able to show him up if you ever play him.

I really am worried about Gaunt communicating with you. All I can say is be careful and don't try to be heroic. The aurors around the castle are more than capable of handling any situation that may arise.

And Lily told me that she gives Kreacher a day off every week, and she would like me to thank you for the Hogwarts candy you sent.

Also, we've been talking it over with your Aunt Hermione, and she thinks the best way to address the problem with the family ignoring you is to bring up the issue when we're all together at Christmas. For now, just keep your head high and be proud that you're in Slytheirn. Don't be afraid to be different.

Love,

Dad, Mom, Lily, and Kreacher

Albus did notice the aurors his father was speaking of. They came around the first of November and stood guard at all major entrances of the school. Gaunt hadn't appeared since that evening in October, nor had he sent Albus any more letters. Besides, Albus had something more important to worry about. Today, November the twenty-third, was his first Quidditch match. He came to the Great Hall dressed proudly in emerald green Quidditch robes, a little nervous but otherwise ready. Coluber gave Scorpius and Albus some words of encouragement before tucking in to some breakfast.

"I've seen you two during practice, and I'm sure you'll both make the house proud, no matter what the outcome is," said Coluber.

"Thanks, Col, we'll try our best," replied Scorpius. Albus glanced down at his plate and noticed another letter there. _Just great_, he thought, _This is all I need on the morning of my first Quidditch match_. Sure enough, the familiar neat handwriting of the brown-eyed, snake obsessed maniac was present:

Albus Potter

Slytherin Table

The Great Hall

Hogwarts

Not wanting the suspense to build any longer, Albus tore open the letter. He found a short but rather alarmingly nice message:

Dear Albus,

I want to wish you good luck in today's match. I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines. I'm sure you'll make our house proud.

I can still tell you're anxious about believing me. I am telling nothing but the truth. Although I was a Death Eater, I did it only to somehow enact my revenge on You-Know-Who. I usually only act evil and sadistic when I need to conceal my true feelings or if I need a quick getaway. I know you won't believe me, so I hope to chat with you again shortly. I leave you with another clue as to my whereabouts.

Regards,

Anton Morfin Salazar Gaunt

Curious, Albus reached into the envelope and, sure enough, there was another tiny scrap of paper in it.

Another confusing hint, a perplexing clue

Mabye the snakes know, they may tell you

"I wouldn't worry about it now, mate, we've got a game to win," said Scorpius. His curiosity piqued once more, Albus stashed the note in his bag with the other one, trying to push it out of his mind and focusing more on Quidditch. Rose came over to their table.

"Good luck today guys! I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines!" "Thanks, Rosie! We need to talk about Gaunt later, he sent me another letter and another clue," said Albus. Rose glared at him.

"Will you stop trying to play hero and focus on Quidditch for now!" she cried indignantly. Albus shrunk back in his seat and Scorpius chortled.

"Fine, Rose, I'll keep him in line," Scorpius retorted, giving her a sheepish grin. She rolled her eyes as if to say _like you'll keep him out of trouble? Yeah right!_ before wishing them luck once more and leaving for the Quidditch pitch.

"She glares daggers at me much too often, have you noticed that?" asked Scorpius curiously.

"Trust me mate, you haven't known her for eleven years. You haven't seen anything until you've seen Rose Weasley angry," said Albus with a chuckle. Scorpius chortled and the two of them slung their brooms over their shoulders and made for the Quidditch Pitch.

They made it to the locker room to find the rest of the team already there. Brutus and Marcus were practicing swinging their beater bats, while Tabitha and Janine were practicing complicated passing maneuvers.

"Oh, there you two are!" said Coluber. "All right team! This is the first match of the year, and I think we have a solid team built. I've heard Hufflepuff isn't very good this year, but that doesn't mean you let up. Play your hardest, and victory should be ours. And remember, Brutus and Marcus, if you can help it, don't severely injure anyone, okay?" Brutus and Marcus chuckled.

"Not if we can help it," replied Marcus.

"And Scorpius and Albus, play your hardest. I know you're only first years, but that doesn't mean a thing to the Hufflepuffs. Even though they're older, bigger, and more experienced, still try your hardest, no matter what."

"Don't worry, Col, we won't let you down," replied Scorpius. Coluber grinned and strode over to the door, where the roar of the crowd on the other side could be heard.

"Oh, and another thing, since you two are new and you wouldn't know, three-quarters of the crowd will be cheering for our defeat. Just don't let it bother you."

"Okay," replied Albus. Coluber winked before hearing his cue, "And here we present the Slytherin team!" and bursting open the door. He mounted his broom, and everyone followed. They all flew out to the middle, accompanied by a chorus of loud booing and barely audible cheering. Sure enough, three quarters of the crowd were booing, and the Slytherins were cheering their own team alone. The air was crisp and cold, but the sun was shining brightly with barely a cloud in the sky. He noticed his cousin Victoire was the announcer.

"For Slytherin, we have the captain Coluber Mortinson, Tabitha Burns, Janine Wilkins as Chasers, Brutus Mentis and Marcus Callin as Beaters, the rookie first year Scorpius Malfoy as Keeper, and the first year Albus Potter as Seeker!" yelled Victoire. _It didn't even sound like she acknowledged me as her cousin_. As his name was announced, he heard a coordinated chorus of shouts.

"Beat the traitor! Beat the traitor! Beat the traitor!" Albus looked over to the Gryffindor stands and saw nearly the entire house joining in. Albus saw a large banner with a Badger eating a Snake that said "ALBUS SNIVELLUS POTTER STINKS." Albus frowned. _Bunch of idiotic dunderheads, the lot of them_, he thought. With a grimace he looked down to see Mister Oliver Wood, former Keeper for Puddlemere United and former Gryffindor Keeper, talking to the captains. He saw the Hufflepuff Captain, Zane Russo, shake hands with Coluber reluctantly before flying up to his position. Albus looked and saw the Hufflepuff Seeker, Johnathan Finch-Fletcherly, a fourth-year, glaring daggers at him. Albus gulped and tried to tune out the chorus of "Beat the traitor!"

He looked down to see Mister Wood release the Bludgers and Snitch. Albus watched as the tiny, glittering gold ball flew high into the sky. Mister Wood blew his whistle and threw the Quaffle in the air. In a flurry of emerald and vermillion, the match had begun.

Albus began flying around, scanning the area for the Snitch. Every time he passed by the Gryffindor stands, he heard the booing and "Beat the Traitor!" increase in volume. He turned around to notice Jonathan Finch-Fletcherly tailing him. _So that's his plan, to just follow me the whole time until I see the Snitch?_ Albus smirked. It was time to have some fun. He quickly accelerated as if he saw the Snitch, and found that Jonathan Finch-Fletcherly did the same.

"It looks like Albus Potter has spotted something!" shouted Victoire. As Albus neared one of the main grandstands, he quickly shot upward like a cork, and looked down to see that John Finch-Fletcherly couldn't pull it off in time. He slammed into the grandstands and almost fell off his broom. He glanced up at Albus and glared menacingly. Albus retorted by snickering deviously before taking off for the other end of the pitch, scanning the area for the Snitch all the while.

"It was a ruse! Meanwhile, Coluber Mortinson's Quaffle throw managed to just get by Hufflepuff Keeper Abby Simmons and score on the left ring! The score is now 10-0 Slytherin!" shouted Victoire. Albus glanced over to see the Hufflepuff keeper looking angrily towards Coluber, who gave a loud whoop. The whoop was quickly drowned out by a chorus of booing from the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor grandstands. The Slytherins were cheering as loud as they could, but it was easily drowned out by the other three houses. Albus kept scanning for the Snitch, but there was no sign of the glittering golden ball. John Finch-Fletcherly was relegated to glaring at Albus from a good distance back.

"The Hufflepuff chasers are closing in on the Slytherin rings! Can Scorpius Malfoy defend them?" came the loud voice of Victoire. Albus glanced anxiously at his friend, to find that all three of the Hufflepuff Chasers were performing complicated passing maneuvers with the Quaffle to try and confuse him. Just as one Chaser began to hurl the Quaffle, Marcus nailed the Chaser with a Bludger, causing the throw to falter. Scorpius was able to block in time and Albus yelled, "Yeah! Go Scorp!" before hearing a Bludger whizz past his head. Albus turned around to see a Hufflepuff beater scowling at him. _That was lucky, _thought Albus, _I need to be a little more attentive to what I'm doing_. Albus scanned the area for the Snitch, but saw no trace of it. Slytherin scored once more and Hufflepuff got on the scoreboard, making the game 20-10.

It was at this time that Albus saw it. The snitch was hovering near the Gryffindor grandstand. Albus took off at breakneck speed, and John Finch-Fletcherly followed suit. John was gaining on Albus, so Albus pushed it all he could. John caught up to Albus, but instead of going for the Snitch, John slammed into Albus and nearly knocked him off his broom. He heard Coluber cry, "Foul!" and complain to Mister Wood, who refused to listen. Albus tried desperately to scramble back on to his broom, as he was only holding on to it with one arm. He heard a cluster of laughing and heckling coming from the Gryffindors. Albus was determined, though, and managed to climb back on his broom and rocket after John. Albus tried his hardest, but he knew he wouldn't be able to catch up to John in time. Then, something completely unexpected happened. A faint azure blue outline had formed around John's broom, and it suddenly shifted out of the way. John nearly fell off. Albus, bewildered but glad for the unexpected turn of events, rocketed past and clasped the tiny ball of gold in his right hand.

"And Albus Potter catches the Snitch! Slytherin wins 170-10!" shouted Victoire. It was hard to hear her however, as the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs broke out into loud protest, claiming a foul. Mister Wood didn't see what happened, so he didn't call a penalty. Albus' eyes noticed something peculiar as he began his descent. He saw a hooded figure in the bushes at the far end of the pitch. Curious and thinking the worst, he flew over to it, paying no attention to the death threats and loud protests coming from the crowds. As he got closer, the stranger pulled his hood back and Albus' suspicions were confirmed. It was Anton Gaunt. Albus' eyes widened as he saw Gaunt's wand drawn. The tip was glowing an azure blue, and Gaunt winked before vanishing into the bushes behind him. Albus, overly concerned, barely noticed when he heard Coluber shout,

"Hey Al! Come down here!" Snapping out of a trance, Albus descended to the middle of the pitch, where the rest of his team was clustered. They all began chanting "Albus! Albus! Albus!" and Albus was ecstatic. Gaunt could wait for now. He had to celebrate with his team. The other three houses left with much grumbling and protest, but Slytherin left in high spirits. The Slytherin common room was filled with cheers and loud chatter. Someone yelled, "Party in the Common Room!" and every one cheered in agreement. After dinner, some students had managed to sneak food from the kitchens and it was a grand party. Nearly all of the Slytherins came over to clap Albus on the back or congratulate him. He barely even got to see Scorpius, who was equally mobbed by people.

The party went well into the night, and Albus was so tired from all the partying. Most of the people cleared out, leaving only Albus, Scorpius, and a couple of people.

"Wow, I didn't get to see you all day. Great job today, mate," said Albus, chuckling.

"Same to you mate," said Scorpius. The two of them trudged upstairs, and Albus collapsed on his bed and drifted into a sound sleep.


End file.
